^^^S^''-" 


uilding'  on  Rock 


■<i'i'-v'pa-'^ 


SEP  1  4  1934 


BV  4501  .K54  1919 
Kingman,  Henry,  1863-1921 
Building  on  rock 


I  \  w/ 


EVERYDAY  LIFE  SERIES 

The  Christian  According  to  Paul:  John  T.  Fans 

Psalms  of  the  Social  Life:  Cleland  B.  McAfee 

The  Many-Sided  David:  Philip  E.  Howard 

Meeting  the  Master:  Ozora  S.  Davis 

Under  the  Highest  Leadership:  John  Douglas  Adam 

A  Living  Book  in  a  Living  Age:  Lynn  Harold  Hough 

How  God  Calls  Men:  Frederick  Harris 

Marks  of  a  World  Christian:  Daniel  Johnson  Fleming 

Building  on  Rock:  Henry  Kingman 

Other  volumes  to  be  announced  later 


EVERYDAY  LIFE  SERIES 

Building  on  Rock 

Character-Building  under  th< 

Master    Builder   ,^„,  ^,j 

^-C>^         I  ^  SEP  14  1934 
HENRY  KINGMAk^^g^j^j^^ 

"Everyone  therefore  that  heareth  these  words  of  mine,  and 
doeth  them,  shall  he  likened  unto  a  wise  man,  who  built 
his  house  upon  the  rock." — Matthew  7:24. 


ASSOCIATION    PRESS 

New    York  :    347    Madison    Avenue 
1919 


Copyright,  19 19,  by 

The  International  Committee  of 

YoiniG  Men's  Christian  Associations 


The  Bible  Text  tised  in  this  volume  is  taken  from  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons,  and 
is  used  by  permission. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACK 

Introduction vii 

I.  The  Background  of  Faith i 

II.  Facing  toward  God 13 

III.  Facing  toward  Man 26 

IV.  The  Demand  for  Genuineness 40 

V.  Be  Ye  Merciful 56 

VI.  Intensity  of  Purpose 73 

VII.  The  Lowliness  of  S  rvice 91 

VIII.  Evils  that  Lay  Waste  Life 108 

IX.  The  Duty  of  Prayer 129 

X.  The  Goodly  Fellowship 146 


INTRODUCTION 

Thoughtful  men  and  women  in  our  day  are  concerned  as 
men  have  seldom  been  before  to  get  at  reality  in  religion. 
There  have  been  long  periods  of  Christian  history  in  which 
this  insistent  demand  for  reality  before  all  else  has  by  no 
means  been  the  dominant  note  in  religious  thinking.  Men 
have  been  strangely  satisfied  with  what  was  traditional  or 
conventional  or  respectable,  with  what  was  endorsed  by  the 
Church,  or  prescribed  by  the  creeds,  or  apparently  advantage^ 
ous  to  society.  But  today,  largely  because  of  the  scientific 
and  critical  temper  of  our  age,  in  which  sheer  honesty  and 
love  of  the  truth  will  allow  nothing  to  pass  unchallenged, 
we  are  quite  unable  to  take  over  our  religion  from  the  past, 
even  if  we  wished  to  do  so.  We  are  no  longer  satisfied  that 
what  our  fathers  rested  on  so  implicitly,  in  theology  any 
more  than  in  other  fields  of  knowledge,  must  needs  be  true. 

We  are  compelled,  whether  we  will  or  no,  to  apply  the  test 
of  reality  to  every  phase  of  the  religious  life.  Is  there  any- 
thing about  it  that  for  us  is  merely  formal  or  conventional,  or 
that  now  begins  to  appear  outworn  or  artificial  or  illusory? 
Is  our  own  personal  religion,  or  the  current  religion  of 
Christian  society,  "the  real  thing"?  Or  does  it  show  signs 
of  collapsing  under  strain,  as  though,  it  could  not  meet  the 
fierce  test  of  present-day  problems?  Obviously  there  is  a 
dismaying  breakdown  of  much  that  has  passed  for  Chris- 
tianity. What,  in  fact,  is  Christianity,  and  where  do  we  get 
closest  to  its  heart? 

It  does  not  matter  whether  we  enjoy  asking  questions  such 
as  these,  or  whether  we  like  to  hear  others  ask  them.  We 
cannot  help  it.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  share  in  the 
scholarly  life  of  our  generation  and  not  feel  the  force  of 
this  insistent  demand  for  the  essential  and  abiding  elements 
in  the  Christian   faith. 

Our  Lord  himself  would  be  in  sympathy  with  such  a  temper. 
It  has  its  dangers  and  plainly  may  be  pressed  to  an  extreme. 
But  it  is  the  very  temper  that  he  tried  to  introduce  into  the 


INTRODUCTION 

thinking  of  his  age.  He  broke  himself  against  the  unyielding 
wall  of  the  "stand-pat"  attitude  of  his  day  toward  religious 
things.  He  labored  to  make  men  feel — what  was  so  clear 
to  him — that  the  popular  religion  was  full  of  elements  of 
unreality ;  beliefs  and  practices  that  were  merely  traditional 
or  ceremonial,  that  were  outgrown  or  even  cramping  and 
hurtful  to  society.  He  tried  to  bring  men  back  to  such 
sympathy  with  God's  thought  that  they  could  discriminate 
between  the  genuine  and  the  false.  He  told  them  how  they 
could  be  in  deed  and  in  truth  real  children  of  the  Father — 
bow  life  could  be  reared  on  eternal  foundations,  instead  of 
collapsing  into  early  ruin  through  sheer  blundering.  But 
they  could  not  see.  They  were  not  honest  enough  to  try  to 
see.  Yet  we  may  be  very  sure  that  if  he  had  found  in 
them  the  eager  even  if  critical  appetite  for  truth,  willing  to 
search  and  sift  with  the  open-mindedness  of  our  day,  he 
would  have  prized  it  far  more  than  their  hereditary  loyalty 
to  accredited  church  teaching. 

On  one  of  the  days  of  his  teaching,  when  he  had  been 
laying  stress  on  this  very  danger  of  illusion  in  religion,  he 
illustrated  in  much  detail  the  difference  between  reality  and 
unreality  in  the  religious  life.  He  drew  many  pictures  of  the 
way  in  which  men  deceive  themselves  and  lay  waste  their 
characters,  when  they  seem  to  themselves,  and  even  to  others, 
to  give  evidence  of  conspicuous  piety.  The  essence  of  his 
contention  he  summed  up  in  a  vivid  sentence  that  will  never 
be  forgotten  while  men  live.  It  may  be  strenuously  denied, 
but  forgotten  it  cannot  be.  "He  who  does  according  to  my 
words,"  he  said,  "is  a  man  who  builds  his  house  upon  a  rock." 
He  builds  the  character  that  is  unshakable.  Life's  storms 
cannot  break  it  down.  It  is  the  real  thing,  even  through  the 
ages.  It  rises  out  of  the  truth,  and  it  relates  itself  to  truth 
at  every  stage  of  its  development.  It  takes  hold  on  the 
strength  of  God,  because  it  grows  to  be  a  part  of  his  thought 
and  purpose'. 

It  was  an  audacious  thing  to  say,  when  Jesus  said  it.  He 
was  setting  aside  the  judgment  of  many  wise  and  good 
men  through  the  centuries,  and  discarding  certain  religious 
beliefs  and  practices  that  seemed  to  his  hearers  sacred  from 
long  usage.  He  was  setting  himself  up  as  the  supreme 
authority    upon    human    character.      But    the    statement    no 


INTRODUCTION 

longer  seems  audacious.  It  has  been  tested  from  every  con- 
ceivable angle  through  eighteen  centuries.  And  never  was 
there  such  a  consensus  of  opinion  as  there  is  today,  after  this 
cataclysm  of  the  Great  War,  that  he  spoke  the  truth.  The 
nearer  a  man  comes  to  shaping  his  life  completely  upon  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  the  nearer  he  comes  not  only  to  being 
morally  great  but  to  being  the  invaluable  helper  of  society. 
He  achieves  the  highest  that  is  possible  for  men. 

This  does  not  mean — what  some  instantly  think  of  it  as 
meaning — that  one  should  arbitrarily  shape  his  life  by  the 
letter  of  three  or  four  of  our  Lord's  detached  sayings,  of  a 
strongly  ascetic  type — "resist  not  evil,"  "sell  that  thou  haSt 
and  give  unto  the  poor,"  "call  no  man  master" — but  that  he 
should  seek,  with  an  honesty  daily  renewed  and  enlightened, 
to  Hve  as  Jesus  unmistakably  and  consistently  bade  men 
live,  taking  the  spirit  and  example  of  Jesus  as  the  inspiration 
of  his  life.  A  man  who  does  this,  whether  he  be  like  Living- 
stone or  Lincoln  or  Mazzini  or  Pasteur,  will  be  a  man  not 
only  acceptable  to  God  but  beloved  of  humanity.  His  limita- 
tions and  his  errors  may  be  obvious  enough,  but  his  greatness 
will  appear  in  spite  of  them,  and  his  friendliness  to  men 
will  be  as  inevitable  as  his  loyalty  to  God. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  world  of  phenomena  more  real 
than  character.  There  is  no  more  efficient  force  than  the 
force  of  love  that  somehow  radiates  from  the  personality 
of  Jesus.  We  cannot  get  closer  to  reality  in  religion  than  in 
this  habitual  submission  to  his  leadership,  which  he  described 
as  "building  upon  rock."  H  any  man  has  a  better  way  to 
arrive  at  life's  noblest  development,  it  is  for  him  to  demon- 
strate it  before  the  world,  and  society  will  turn  to  it  with 
eagerness.     But  it  has  never  appeared. 

Meanwhile  we  turn  reverently  to  that  unchallenged  au- 
thority in  the  field  of  character,  to  learn  what  he  would 
have  us  do  and  be.  These  studies  are  the  following  out  of 
such  an  inquiry.  What  must  we  do  to  build  our  house  of 
life  upon  the  rock?  What  are  the  woxds  that  we,  after  so 
many  years,  must  still  hear  and  do  if  we  would  be  saved 
from  wasting  the  irrecoverable  years?  What  commands  does 
Jesus  lay  on  men? 

No  attempt  will  be  made  in  these  lessons  to  separate  his 
commands    into    classes — religious,    ethical,    or    social — or    to 

ix 


INTRODUCTION 

distinguish  sharply  between  duties  to  man  and  God  and  self, 
as  though  they  iell  under  different  departments  of  human 
experience.  They  blend  into  one  another.  For  the  most 
part  they  were  inseparable  in  his  thought,  and  though  we 
may  profitably  segregate  one  class  at  times  for  special  study 
or  attention,  in  a  study  course  as  general  as  this  such 
division  would  be  uncalled-for.  In  the  choice  of  topics  it 
merely  follows  certain  lines  of  obvious  priority  and  sequence. 
The  Synoptic  Gospels  are  used  as  sources  for  the  study, 
and  the  daily  readings  are  for  the  most  part  from  them, 
supplemented  here  and  there  by  the  Fourth  Gospel.  Where 
his  closest  friends  left  some  word  that  illuminates  his  thought, 
these  passages  are  occasionally  added,  not  as  primary  sources, 
but   for  purposes  of  illustration  and  application. 


CHAPTER  I 

The   Background  of  Faith 

DAILY  READINGS 
First  Week,  First  Day 

Beware  of  false  prophets,  who  come  to  you  in  sheep's 
clothing,  but  inwardly  are  ravening  wolves.  By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of 
thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles?  Even  so  every  good  tree 
bringeth  forth  good  fruit;  but  the  corrupt  tree  bringeth 
forth  evil  fruit.  A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit, 
neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  Every 
tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and 
cast  into  the  fire.  Therefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them.  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me.  Lord, 
Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he 
that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 
Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  did  we 
not  prophesy  by  thy  name,  and  by  thy  name  cast  out 
demons,  and  by  thy  name  do  many  mighty  works?  And 
then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you:  depart 
from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. — Matt.  7:15-23. 

The  demand  for  reality  could  hardly  be  more  sharply 
put  than  in  this  passage.  It  insists  on  character  as  the 
ultimate  essential.  It  applies  the  pragmatic  test  of  results 
to  professions  of  every  kind,  without  any  sort  of  reservation. 
Professions  are  cheap.  It  is  easy  for  a  man  to  claim  the 
faith  of  an  angel  or  the  devotion  of  an  apostle.  He  may 
even  deceive  himself.  But  let  him  make  good !  That,  and 
only  that,  will  show  whether  his  claims  are  worth  listening 
to.  If  he  does  not  do  my  Father's  will,  said  Jesus,  he  does 
not  belong  to  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  My  name,  or  God's 
name,  may  continually  be  on  his  lips,  but  he  is  a  fraud. 

I 


[1-2]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

Character  means  the  choice  of  God's  will,  day  :n  and  day 
out,  for  the  whole  length  of  the  winding  way  of  life.  And 
Jesus  often  asserted,  and  always  assumed,  that  he  was  him- 
self the  revelation  of  what  God's  will  meant  for  human  life. 
So  he  confidently  bade  men  follow  him.  Where  they  have 
really  done  so,  they  have  helped  to  make  this  world,  seem 
like  God's  world. 

First  Week,  Second  Day 

While  he  was  yet  speaking  to  the  multitudes,  behold, 
his  mother  and  his  brethren  stood  without,  seeking  to 
speak  to  him.  And  one  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thy 
mother  and  thy  brethren  stand  without,  seeking  to  speak 
to  thee.  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  him  that  told 
him.  Who  is  my  mother?  and  who  are  my  brethren? 
And  he  stretched  forth  his  hand  towards  his  disciples, 
and  said,  Behold,  my  mother  and  my  brethren!  For 
whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in 
heaven,  he  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother. — Matt. 
12:46-50. 

Again  in  this  passage  Jesus  put  the  same  truth  in  the 
strongest  possible  way.  There  was  no  favoritism  in  God's 
household — no  inner  circle  that  had  a  short  cut  to  prefer- 
ment. He  swept  clean  out  of  sight  all  lesser  considerations, 
in  order  that  the  actual  doing  of  God's  will  might  appear  in 
its  unchallenged  supremacy  as  the  central  requirement  of 
religion.  No  doctrinal  scheme  may  be  built  up — as  schemes 
have  sometimes  been  built  up — that  in  any  wise  obscures  the 
inevitable  demand  for  godly  living,  if  one  is  to  be  a  disciple 
of  Jesus. 

Notice  also  how  completely,  and  as  it  were  unconsciously, 
Jesus  assumes  that  the  doing  of  God's  will  is  the  same  as 
the  doing  of  his  own  words.  He  uses  the  two  expressions 
interchangeably,  because  he  felt  that  his  own  teaching  was 
only  the  transmitted  message  of  his  Father.  "The  word 
which  ye  hear  is  not  mine,  but  the  Father's  who  sent  me" 
(John  14:24),  "The  things  therefore  which  I  speak,  even 
as  the  Father  hath  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak"  (John  12:50). 
The  friends  of  Jesus,  in  those  Galilean  days,  were  being 
taught  of  God  through  the  lips  and  the  daily  behavior  of 
their  Master. 


THE    BACKGROUND    OF   FAITH  [I-3] 

Lord,  help  us  to  count  it  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world 
to  do  thy  will,  and  may  we  fearlessly  seek  to-  knozv  what  that 
will  is. 

First  Week,  Third  Day 

Every  one  therefore  that  heareth  these  vords  of  mine, 
and  doeth  them,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  wise  man,  who 
built  his  house  upon  the  rock:  and  the  rain  descended, 
and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon 
that  house;  and  it  fell  not:  for  it  was  founded  upon  the 
rock.  And  every  one  that  heareth  these  words  of  mine, 
and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man, 
who  built  his  house  upon  the  sand:  and  the  rain  de- 
scended, and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and 
smote  upon  that  house;  and  it  fell:  and  great  was  the 
fall  thereof. — Matt.  7:24-27. 

Here  is  the  enunciation  of  the  general  principle  on  which 
these  studies  are  based.  To  accept  the  word  and  follow  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  is  to  build  one's  life  on  rock.  To  hear  his 
commands  and  to  keep  them,  as  he  said  elsewhere,  is  to  live 
in  the  love  of  God,  and  so  find  life  in  its  highest  terms.  He 
had  entire  confidence  that  if  men  would  do  as  he  said,  they 
would  be  saved .  from  all  illusion  and  mistake  in  spending 
life's  capital,  and  would  be  spared  the  moral  bankruptcy 
that  befalls  so  many.  He  presents  this  plain  ethical  require- 
ment as  the  test  of  righteousness.  Nothing  is  said  here 
about  belief,  to  embarrass  for  any  mind  the  simple  moral 
issue.  A  very  simple  creed  is  all  he  asks  for — the  creed  of 
trusting  him  as  Master. 

And  yet  see  what  a  tremendous  conviction  of  faith  such 
a  creed  involves — all  the  faith,  indeed,  that  Jesus  ever  per- 
sonally asked  of  men.  To  trust  ourselves  to  his  direction 
with  complete  abandonment,  to  put  in  his  hands  all  our  little 
capital  of  life,  to  abide  by  his  decision  as  to  our  conduct 
through  fair  weather  or  foul  to  the  end,  what  must  we 
think  of  a  man  before  we  yield  him  up  ourselves  like  that! 
And  yet,  beyond  question,  this  is  involved  in  the  simple 
ethical  decision  to  do  his  bidding.  We  should  have  to  be- 
lieve in  him,  heart  and  soul,  for  life  and  death.  To  trust  in 
Jesus  as  the  one  who  leads  on  to  life's  highest  development 
is  to  believe  in  him. 


[1-4]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

First  Week,  Fourth  Day 

Now  there  went  with  him  great  multitudes:  and  he 
turned,  and  said  unto  them,  If  any  man  cometh  unto 
me,  and  hateth  not  his  own  father,  and  mother,  and  wife, 
and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own 
life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.  Whosoever  doth 
not  bear  his  own  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be 
my  disciple.  For  which  of  you,  desiring  to  build  a  tower, 
doth  not  first  sit  down  and  count  the  cost,  whether  he 
have  wherewith  to  complete  it?  Lest  haply,  when  he 
hath  laid  a  foundation,  and  is  not  able  to  finish,  all  that 
behold  begin  to  mock  him,  saying,  This  man  began  to 
build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish. — Luke  14:25-30. 

It  is  well  for  us  to  face  thoughtfully  this  undoubted  saying 
of  Jesus,  even  though  we  may  not  enjoy  it.  It  is  not  and 
was  not  meant  to  be  a  well-balanced  judicial  statement.  It 
is  a  passionate  utterance  of  deep  feeling,  wrung  from  Jesus 
when  he  had  been  cut  to  the  heart  by  the  endless  indifference 
and  lukewarmness  and  self-seeking  of  men  who  rather 
fancied  his  teaching  and  dallied  with  his  leadership.  It 
means  that  a  man  cannot  win  the  supreme  achievement  in 
character  by  halfway  methods.  To  accept  as  Teacher  and 
Master  such  a. one  as  Jesus  is  a  choice  that  strikes  to  the 
very  root  of  a  man's  being  and  triumphantly  outwears  any 
conceivable  change  of  time  or  circumstance.  It  is  not  to 
be  reached  without  convictions  utterly  beyond  the  common. 
One  must  be  willing  to  stake  everything  on  his  faith.  A 
tentative  trial  of  Jesus  as  Leader  shows  a  moral  indecision 
that  merely  dishonors  him  and  disappoints  the  experimenter. 

First  Week,  Fifth  Day 

At  that  season  Jesus  answered  and  said,  I  thank 
thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou 
didst  hide  these  things  from  the  wise  and  understanding, 
and  didst  reveal  them  unto  babes:  yea,  Father,  for  so  it 
was  well-pleasing  in  thy  sight.  All  things  have  been 
delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father:  and  no  one  knoweth 
the  Son,  save  the  Father;  neither  doth  any  know  the 
Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son 
willeth  to  reveal  him.  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take 
my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and 

4 


THE   BACKGROUND    OF  FAITH  [1-6] 

lowly  in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. — Matt. 
11:25-30. 

From  another  angle  Jesus  invites  men  to  shape  their 
lives  by  him.  All  about  us  are  those  who  are  restless  and 
discontented  because  of  the  seeming  futility  of  life.  They 
are  getting  on  in  years  and  yet  are  not  accomplishing  any- 
thing of  consequence.  They  may  be  laying  by  a  substantial 
property  for  themselves  or  their  family,  but  their  early 
idealism  has  worn  out  in  the  process  and  nofliing  else  has 
come  to  take  its  place.  Life  for  them  is  an  enigma  and  so 
a  burden. 

Jesus  confidently  asked  men  to  take  on  them  the  yoke  of 
his  leadership,  knowing  that  this  very  obedience  would  bring 
them  rest.  They  would  be  done  with  the  haunting  fear  that 
they  were  building  on  sand,  and  would  have  inward  assur- 
ance in  all  their  daily  work  that  they  were  building  on  the 
rock.  They  could  go  on  with  life  in  calm  hopefulness.  The 
world  has  proved  that  character  like  that  of  Jesus  infallibly 
means  peace  and  joy.  Fretfulness  and  discontent  cannot 
keep  foothold  in  a  life  that  breathes  his  spirit  as  its  daily  air. 

"In  His  will  is  our  peace." — Dante. 

First  Week,  Sixth  Day 

Now  when  John  heard  in  the  prison  the  works  of  the 
Christ,  he  sent  by  his  disciples  and  said  unto  him,  Art 
thou  he  that  cometh,  or  look  we  for  another?  And  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go  and  tell  John  the  things 
which  ye  hear  and  see:  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and 
the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear, 
and  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  good  tid- 
ings preached  to  them.  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever 
shall  find  no  occasion  of  stumbling  in  me. — Matt.  11:2-6. 

It  is  well  to  be  quite  frank  with  ourselves  as  to  whether 
we  approve  of  Jesus  as  a  moral  guide  or  not.  No  one  can 
decide  the  question  for  us — we  must  settle  it  for  ourselves 
on  the  most  practical  and  elementary  grounds.  John  the 
Baptist,  at  a  cruelly  hard  pinch,  wanted  a  categorical  state- 
ment as  to  the  ground  of  Jesus'  claims.  He  asked  for 
dogmatic  assurance.     None  was  given.     Instead,  Jesus  simply 

5 


11-7]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

bade    him    reflect   on    the    works   Jesus    did,   and    decide    the 
matter  for  himself. 

We  have  the  works  of  Jesus  before  our  eyes,  spreading 
under  his  influence  through  many  generations.  Are  we  drawn 
to  such  a  leader  as  he  is,  or  do  we  on  the  whole  feel  distaste 
for  what  he  stands  for?  Beyond  question  there  are  many, 
even  in  our  day,  who  heartily  dislike  both  him  and  his  ways 
— though  as  a  rule  they  are  careful  not  to  say  so.  Only  if 
we  are  truly  attached  to  him  and  to  his  spirit,  and  with 
transparent  hbnesty  long  to  repeat  the  kind  of  life  he  lived, 
can  we  expect  to  build  our  characters  on  lines  of  his  ap- 
proving. 

The  greatest  contribiltion  any  man  can  make  to  society  is 
a  life  thoroughly  mastered  by  His  direction. 

First  Week,  Seventh  Day 

Upon  this  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and  walked 
no  more  with  him.  Jesus  said  therefore  unto  the  twelve, 
Would  ye  also  go  away?  Simon  Peter  answered  him, 
Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life.  And  we  have  believed  and  know  that  tHou 
art  the  Holy  One  of  God. — John  6:66-69. 

It  is  often  helpful  to  face  the  sharp  alternative  to  shaping 
our  lives  on  the  teaching  of  Jesus.  Probably  there  are  few 
of  us,  if  the  truth  were  known,  who  are  not  tempted  in  cer- 
tain moods  to  distrust  him  as  an  authoritative  religious 
guide — as  though  this  were  somehow  asking  too  much  of  one 
in  this  modern  critical  age.  Very  well,  suppose  we  surrender 
him  as  a  divinely  sent  Master !  We  must  look  for  our 
inspiration  elsewhere.  Where  do  we  propose  to  look  for  it? 
Who  is  to  be  our  guiding  light  in  times  of  moral  perplexity 
and  moral  defeat?  Who  shall  set  for  us  "the  mark  of  living 
light,  above  the  howling  senses'  ebb  and  flow"?  Whence 
are  we  to  draw,  in  days  to  come,  the  vivid  invincible  life- 
purpose  of  unselfish  love,  that  shall  mould  us  steadily  into 
something  better  than  we  have  known? 

Jesus  declares  that  his  word  is  a  rock  foundation  for  such 
divinely  tempered  character.  So  it  has  been  through  cen- 
turies on  centuries  for  unnumbered  men  and  women,  bene- 
factors of  their  race.    Are  we  going  to  be  able  to  find  other 

6 


THE    BACKGROUND    OF  FAITH  [l-c]- 

foundations  on  which  we  can  build  such  a  life,  without  his 
aid?  If  not,  what  is  it  in  him  that  makes  him  thus  indispen- 
sable? We  cannot  but  believe  that  the  foundation  on  which' 
the  highest  development  is  reared  is  one  of  truth  and  not 
of  error. 

Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  but  unto  thee?  Thou  hast  the' 
words  of  eternal  life. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 
I 

Many  have  seen  a  certain  unforgettable  cartoon  by  the 
Dutch  artist,  Louis  Raemakers.  It  shows  the  German  Kaiser 
riding  down  the  highway  on  his  war-horse,  stern  and  master- 
ful, the  incarnation  of  relentless  power.  Around  him  are 
his  mounted  staff,  with  cloaks  and  swords  and  helmets, 
silent  and  terrible  in  the  pride  of  war.  But  at  his  side  upon 
the  road,  trespassing  on  that  high  company,  is  a  humble 
man  mounted  on  an  ass,  as  Jesus  once  rode  in  Palestine,  his 
bowed  face  eloquent  of  love  and  sadness — the  Man  of  Sor- 
rows. And  the  Kaiser,  pointing  indignantly  to  the  intruder, 
exclaims  to  his  staff,  "Who  is  this  man  ?" 

The  biting  satire  lies  in  the  exposure  of  a  terrible  illusion, 
not  involving  the  Kaiser  only.  This  Jesus  Christ,  the  man 
of  love,  on  whom  the  whole  structure  of  Christianity  sup- 
posedly is  built,  appears  an  unfamiliar  stranger  even  in  the 
eyes  of  one  of  the  great  heads  of  Christendom.  So  alien 
is  the  Master  in  his  life  and  spirit,  that  he  is  an  offense 
and  a  stumbling-block  in  the  path  of  those  who  bear  his 
name  and  sign. 

Its  application  is  far  wider  than  to  an  imperialism  that  had 
outlived  the  consent  of  men,  yet  ostentatiously  counted  God 
its  ally.  It  expresses  the  age-old  unreality  of  a  religion 
that  calls  itself  Christian,  while  yet  squarely  hostile  to  the 
ethical  and  social  principles  of  Jesus.  Some  might  say  un- 
thinkingly that  it  exposes  the  breakdown  of  Christianity. 
Just  the  reverse  is  true.  It  is  an  eloquent  affirmation  of  the 
impregnable  truth  that  there  is  no  real  Christianity  save  in 
loyalty  to  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  taught  us  what  we 
know  of  God. 

Historical  Christianity,  formal  Christianity,  has  often  been 


[I-c]:  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

something  startlingly  out  of  sympathy  with  the  Great  Teacher 
and  Friend  of  men.  It  has  exalted  his  formal  requirements 
in  the  sacraments  and  institutions  of  the  Church;  it  has  kept 
always  in  the  forefront  the  elaborate  creedal  formulations 
of  the  church  councils,  but  it  has  sometimes  completely 
broken  step  with  him  in  his  actual  life-spirit;  it  has  wandered 
clean  away  out  of  his  company.  And  this  haunting  fear  of 
unreality,  that  makes  so  many  in  our  time  suspicious  of  the 
Church  and  its  requirements,  is  the  half-perceived  legacy 
from  this  long  period  of  dissonance  between  the  ideals  of 
Jesus  and  those  of  his  reputed  followers. 

Curiously  enough,  the  Church  has  never  formally  put  the 
ethical  code  of  Jesus  in  the  forefront  of  its  teaching.  The 
law  once  graven  on  stone,  the  Ten  Commandments  of  Mount 
Sinai,  has  been  taught  to  every  child  of  the  Church.  Even 
today,  as  a  part  of  the  stated  public  worship,  we  repeat 
or  sing  the  ancient  words  that  forbid  us  to  worship  other 
gods,  or  to  make  graven  images,  or  to  do  any  work  on  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week.  But  no  such  place  has  ever  been 
given  to  the  royal  law  that  crowned  all  those  centuries  of 
slow  education  and  illumination — that  we  should  love  our 
neighbors  as  ourselves,  that  we  should  be  merciful  as  our 
Father  in  heaven  is  merciful,  that  we  should  humble  ourselves 
as  little  children,  that  we  should  pray  to  our  Father,  that 
we  should  deny  ourselves  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  his  glad 
tidings.  As  the  result,  we  have  seen  state  churches  and 
national  governments  that  stood,  as  the  House  of  Hapsburg, 
for  example,  so  long  stood  in  the  last  century,  with  equal 
frankness  and  intensity  for  religious  orthodoxy  and  the 
denial  of  the  rights  of  the  people. 

The  world  has  been  wakening  very  fast  in  the  last  fifty 
years  to  the  searching  demands  of  the  real  discipleship  of 
Jesus,  without  which  any  church  or  any  Christian  profession 
is  a  sorry  mockery.  But  only  in  these  last  few  years  have 
men  far  and  wide  begun  to  rouse  themselves  from  the  old 
inertia  of  long-inherited  unbelief,  to  perceive  that  for  na- 
tions, also,  obedience  to  the  teachings  of  Jesus  is  the  only 
policy  that  does  not  set  at  defiance  the  everlasting  purposes 
of  God,  and  so  invite  defeat.  The  old  selfishness  of  indi-^ 
vidual  men  or  of  corporations  or  of  governments,  alike  in 
greed  for  money  or  greed  for  power,  begins  to  appear  today 

8 


THE   BACKGROUND    OF   FAITH  [I-c] 

as  never  before  in  history  in  its  true  light  as  the  fundamental 
denial  and  betrayal  of  the  Christian  faith.  We  have  lost 
interest  in  disputing  about  creeds,  so  profound  has  become 
our  preoccupation  with  the  primary  demands  of  him  about 
whom  all  creeds  center. 

Do  we  wish  to  get  at  the  heart  of  reality  in  the  religion 
of  Jesus?  Very  well,  here  is  the  summing  up  of  the  actual 
qualities  of  character  that  inevitably  appear  in  those  who 
absorb  his  spirit — no  theoretical  or  ecclesiastical  summary, 
but  a  statement  out  of  personal  experience  on  the  part  of 
one  of  the  most  sympathetically  intimate  friends  of  Jesus. 
Imagine  them  used  as  the  touchstone  of  reality  for  all  who 
profess  and  call  themselves  Christians!  Here  is  the  list: 
"Love,  joy,  peace;  patience  toward  others,  kindness,  benevo- 
lence; good  faith,  meekness,  self-restraint."  It  is  not  meant 
to  be  exhaustive,  but  it  does  indicate  the  structural  lines 
of  the   Christian  character. 

These  qualities  spring  up  in  the  pathway  of  Jesus.  Just 
as  from  a  mountain  on  the  desert  edge  you  can  follow  the 
course  of  a  river  by  the  green  ribbon  of  tree-tops  winding 
across  the  sand,  so  you  can  follow  the  succession  of  the 
followers  of  Jesus  through  fearsome,  arid  centuries,  when 
cruelty  and  violence  spread  like  a  boundless  wilderness  on 
either  side.  They  made  life  blossom  around  them.  Side 
by  side  with  them  there  may  have  been  this  pretentious 
illusion  of  a  Christian  church  full  of  pride  and  harsh 
intolerance,  but,  as  at  this  day,  the  men  and  women  who 
really  shared  the  spirit  of  Jesus  were  like  fountains  of  living 
water  for  thirsty  men.  Never  has  there  been  a  doubt  as  to 
the  character  of  those  who  actually  hear  and  do  his  words — ■ 
it  is  the  world's  most  precious  possession  up  till  now.  And 
it  is  only  leadership  like  this  which  can  ever  bring  the  world 
out  of  the  labyrinth  of  tangled  hates  and  passions,  through 
which  it  stumbles  on  its  way  today.  Here  is  reality  indeed, 
as  of  the  supreme  force  in  the  moral  universe. 

II 

It  is  fairly  plain  to  most  men  that  the  genuine  following 
of  the  teaching  of  Jesus  leads  out  into  character  of  this 
particularly  high  and  noble  type.  It  is  not  so  immediately 
plain  that  such  a  life  of  habitual  obedience  to  his  example 


[1-c]         ■  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

is  a  triumph  of  faith.  Yet  clearly  enough  it  is  only  as  one 
deeply  believes  in  him  that  one  yields  up  to  his  control  for 
life  the  sweet  freedom  of  self-will. 

So  many  of  us  have  been  accustomed  to  place  a  purely 
conventional  meaning  on  the  words,  "Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  that  we  are  slow  to  discern  how  simple  are 
the  essentials  of  that  requirement.  In  the  nature  of  the 
case  they  must  be  within  the  reach  of  any  honest  and  well- 
disposed  soul  face  to  face  with  a  man  claiming,  as  did  Jesus, 
to  be  a  leader  sent  from  God.  Does  he  commend  himself 
to  us  or  not  in  that  august  capacity?  Would  we  be  content 
to  build  our  lives  on  lines  of  his  direction? 

In  certain  European  countries  the  universities  were  filled 
with  young  men  looking  forward  to  civil  and  military  prefer- 
ment. Their  governments  demanded  that  they  should  be 
baptized  members  of  the  state  church  and  should  receive 
the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  They  gave  these  out- 
ward signs  of  belief  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  declared  members  of  a 
Christian  community..  But  by  a  large  proportion  of  them  the 
actual  teachings  of  Jesus  were  viewed  with  derision  or  disgust: 
his  demand  for  purity,  for  self-restraint,  for  self-denying 
love  to  the  poor  and  weak,  for  a  reverent  and  humble  fellow- 
ship with  God,  was  to  them  fiercely  objectionable.  They, 
subscribed  to  an  orthodox  confession,  but  frankly  and  ener- 
getically they  disbelieved  in  him.  They  might  grow  up  to 
be  strong  supporters  of  the  state  church,  especially  for  the 
sake  of  the  common  people;  but  their  belief  in  Christianity 
was  a  deadly  illusion,  full  of  injury  to  society — as  this  war 
has  so  tragically  shown. 

Perhaps  it  hardly  needs  to  be  said  that  it  is  quite  meaning- 
less for  a  man  to  believe  that  Jesus  was  the  second  person- 
in  the  Trinity  and  that  He  came  to  offer  a  substitutionary 
atonement  for  human  sin,  if  his  own  heart  is  full  of  a 
Nietzschean  pride  of  self-will  that  despises  the  "slave- 
morality"  of  the  New  Testament.  Jesus  did  not  build  his 
discipleship  on  metaphysical  interpretations  of  his  relation- 
ship to  God,  or  on  any  complete  understanding  of  the  depths 
of  his  own  personality.  His  requirement  of  the  right-of-way 
in  a  man's  life  was  as  plain  and  direct  as  a  shaft  of  sunlight. 
Did  men  believe  in  him  and  in  his  works,  so  that  they 
would   stand   with   him   like   Athanasius    against   the   world? 

10 


THE   BACKGROUND    OF  FAITH  [I-c] 

Would  they  take  up  arms  even  against  a  sea  of  troubles, 
trusting  that  he  would  bring  them  victoriously  through? 

The  Fourth  Gospel  makes  profound  claims  for  the  eternal 
sonship  of  Christ;  but  it  states,  even  more  explicitly  than 
the  other  gospels,  what  sort  of  belief  in  him  it  was  that  Jesus 
demanded  of  the  men  of  his  day — not  that  he  was  the 
Messiah,  a  fact  which  through  most  of  his  ministry  he  studi- 
ously concealed,  but  that  he  was  sent  of  God  to  reveal  His 
will.  The  leaders  of  the  Jews  denied  this;  they  declared 
that  he  was  a  man  of  evil  heart,  with  an  evil  purpose.  But 
of  his  own  truest  friends  Jesus  said,  "They  believed  that  thou 
didst  send  me"  (John  17:8).  He  wrought  his  mightiest 
works  before  the  people,  so  he  said,  "that  they  may  believe 
that  thou  didst  send  me"  (John  11:42).  His  last  prayer 
for  his  disciples  was  that  they  might  be  one  in  spirit  with  him, 
"that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me"  (John 
17:21).  He  came  to  bring  to  men  in  darkness  the  light 
of  the  glory  of  God's  love ;  he  was  one  delegated  for  this 
mission.  But  whether  he  healed  the  sick,  or  raised  the  dead, 
or  brought  the  wicked  to  penitence,  the  Jews  would  have 
none  of  him  or  of  his  works  either.  They  said  that  he  was 
a  teacher  of  error  and  an  emissary  of  the  devil.  They 
repudiated  his  leadership  as  men  repudiate  it  today.  Their 
unbelief  did  not  lie  in  their  imperfect  understanding  of  his 
person,  or  their  failure  to  recognize  him  as  the  Messiah, 
but  in  their  moral  aversion  to  him  and  to  his  message.  How 
could  he  lead  them  to  God  when  they  had  no  faith  in  him? 
He  stood  before  them  as  he  was,  and  they,  seeing  him  as  he 
was,  looking  him  up  and  down  and  through  and  through, 
disliked  him  heartily.  And  all  his  messages  from  God  broke 
hopelessly  against  this  armor  of  antagonism. 

But  others  turned  to  him  as  a  starved  plant  to  the  sun. 
He  came  into  their  life  for  a  few  hours  or  days  and  they, 
seeing  him  as  he  was,  were  drawn  to  him  with  all  the  force 
of  their  natures.  Even  though  they  were  very  ignorant  and 
very  vulgar,  they  could  recognize  love  when  they  saw  it — 
especially  love  that  redeemed — and  they  believed  in  him. 
They  heard  him  talk  and  watched  him  work,  and  found  him 
good,  and  trusted  that  his  goodness  was  of  God.  They 
wanted  to  be  like  him,  even  though  they  might  have  been 
parasites  on   society  hitherto.     They  were  eager  to  be  what 


[I-c]  BUILDING   ON   ROCK 

he  wanted  them  to  be.  So  they  became  his,  and  slowly 
iearned  with  the  years  what  manner  of  man  he  was  who  had 
brought  them  to  God  and  God  to  them.  They  came  to  the 
clear  assurance  that,  as  one  of  them  said,  "God  was  in  Christ, 
reconciling   the   world   unto   himself." 

Just  here  is  where  the  reality  and  power  of  faith  in  Jesus 
lie :  not  in  selecting  and  adopting  the  most  nearly  correct 
doctrine  of  all  the  doctrines  of  the  person  and  work  of 
Christ,  although  the  value  of  the  truth  here  must  be  past 
reckoning,  but  in  the  fundamen*:al  attitude  of  the  soul  toward 
him  and  his  message,  whether  of  repulsion  or  attraction. 
There  is  no  manner  of  doubt  as  to  what  he  was.  His  truth 
and  fidelity  and  courage,  his  pity  for  the  poor  and  gentleness 
with  the  weak,  his  sternness  with  strong  oppressors  and  his 
fearlessness  before  the  great,  his  purity  and  his  uplifting 
love  for  the  stained  and  disgraced,  his  matchless  self-sacrifice 
for  men  to  the  very  limits  of  life  and  death — we  know  it  all! 
Are  we  drawn  by  it  to  him?  Do  we  cleave  to  such  a  one, 
as  to  the  best  that  we  have  ever  known  in  life?  If  so,  we 
believe  in  him,  as  he  sought  to  have  men  believe,  so  that 
they  would  hear  and  do  his  words ;  not  grudgingly  or 
partially,  but  eagerly  and  whole-heartedly,  as  children  who 
were  coming  to  know  God  their  Father.  It  is  that  inward 
choice  and  attachment  that  marks  out  all  who  are  building 
life  under  his  guidance — building  character  on  rock.  Here 
is  the  innermost  reality  of  Christianity. 


12 


CHAPTER   II 

Facing  toward  God 

DAILY  READINGS 

Before  coming  to  the  details  of  Jesus'  program  for  life- 
building,  we  must  take  into  view  one  or  two  of  its  funda- 
mental features  that  can  never  be  lost  from  sight  if  we  are 
to  understand  its  preeminence  in  power  and  attractiveness. 
Just  because  they  are  so  fundamental,  underlying  everything 
that  he  said  and  did,  they  are  sometimes  passed  over  by 
those  in  a  hurry  to  discuss  his  ethics.  If  what  we  want  is 
reality,  we  must  try  to  get  at  the  heart  of  his  moral  influence 
— the  secret  of  that  appeal  which  humanity  has  always  felt  to 
be  unique. 

Second  Week,  First  Day 

And  one  of  the  scribes  came,  and  heard  them  question- 
ing together,  and  knowing  that  he  had  answered  them 
well,  asked  him.  What  cornmandment  is  the  first  of  all? 
Jesus  answered.  The  first  is.  Hear,  O  Israel;  The  Lord 
our  God,  the  Lord  is  one:  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
with  aii  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength.  The  second 
is  this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  There 
is  none  other  commandment  greater  than  these.  And 
the  scribe  said  unto  him.  Of  a  truth.  Teacher,  thou  hast 
well  said  that  he  is  one;  and  there  is  none  other  but 
he:  and  to  love  him  with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the 
understanding,  and  with  all  the  strength,  and  to  love 
his  neighbor  as  himself,  is  much  more  than  all  whole 
burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices.  And  when  Jesus  saw  that 
he  answered  discreetly,  he  said  unto  him.  Thou  art  not 
far  from  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  no  man  after  that 
durst  ask  him  any  question. — Mark  12:28-34. 

13 


[II-2]  BUILDING    ON    ROCK 

The  whole  aspect  and  orienting  of  any  character  designed 
by  such  an  architect  of  lives  as  Jesus,  must  needs  be  facing 
toward  God.  It  looks  away  to  the  heights.  With  such  an 
aspect  and  outlook  it  cannot  be  petty  or  mean  or  selfish ; 
its  uplook  and  outreach  react  upon  it  at  every  point  to  deter- 
mine the  lines  of  its  development.  In  the  heart  of  the  dirty, 
crowded  city  of  Naples,  there  is  a  fine  old  medieval  palace, 
with  stately  marble  apartments,  shut  in  now  by  tenements. 
But  one  knows  instantly  that,  when  its  walls  went  up,  they 
must  have  looked  proudly  far  away  across  the  sea  and  plain 
to  the  slopes  of  Vesuvius  and  the  blue  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Only  a  noble  setting  could  call  for  such  a  noble  structure. 
And  for  the  noblest  life,  only  the  high  and  holy  presence 
of  God  gives  scope  and  verge  enough  for  man's  capacity. 
Walk  before  God,  is  the  first  command  of  Jesus.  Relate 
your  life  each  day  to  his  will.  Live  in  his  love.  It  is  the 
plan  of  a  genius  for  life-building,  who  thinks  only  in  terms 
of  great  living,  and  is  unconscious  of  any  dividing  line 
between  religion  and  morals. 

Second  Week,  Second  Day 

And  behold,  a  certain  lav^ryer  stood  up  and  made  trial 
of  him,  saying,  Teacher,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life?  And  he  said  unto  him,  What  is  vvrritten  in  the  law? 
how  readest  thou?  And  he  answering  said,  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy 
mind;  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  And  he  said  unto 
him,  Thou  hast  answered  right:  this  do,  and  thou  shalt 
live. — Luke  10:25-28. 

It  is  not  only  the  realized  presence  of  God  that  reacts  so 
profoundly  on  human  character.  Jesus  said  that  to  love 
God  was  also  possible— and  if  so,  surely  this  is  the  highest 
possible  function  of  the  human  spirit.  We  know  what  the 
love  of  money  will  do  for  a  man,  how  gravely  it  affects  his 
character.  Jesus  knew  what  the  love  of  God  would  do  for 
one,  how  it  would  ennoble  him  as  no  other  imaginable  in- 
fluence could  do.  To  know  him,  to  reverence  him,  to  hold 
to  him  with  pride  and  joy,  as  a  true  son  honors  a  good 
father,  is  in  fact  to  place  one's  life  under  an  inspiration  of 
incalculable  power. 

14 


FACING    TOWARD    GOD  LII-3J 

We  commonly  think  of  this  saying  of  Jesus  as  a  command, 
as  the  first  of  all  commands.  But  as  life  goes  on  we  come 
to  see  that  it  conveys  not  so  much  a  duty  as  an  invitation 
and  an  inexhaustible  reassurance.  It  is  the  Magna  Charta  of 
human  life.  It  is  our  title  of  nobility.  God  wants  us !  He 
has  made  us  for  himself.  Our  filial  obedience  and  love  are 
of  absolute  worth  to  him.  Each  day's  commonplace  round 
is  prefaced  by  this  sublime  greeting  from  the  Eternal,  "Live 
this  day  for  Me." 

O  God!  may  I  be  strong  and  brave  this  day  in  the  thought 
that  I  am  thy  child,  and  that  thou  carest  for  my  love.  May 
the  spirit  of  noblesse  oblige  be  a  ceaseless  call  to  higher 
living. 

Second  Week,  Third  Day 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy:  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love 
your  enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you;  that 
ye  may  be  sons  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven:  for 
he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and 
sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust.  For  if  ye  love 
them  that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do  not  even 
the  publicans  the  same?  And  if  ye  salute  your  brethren 
only,  what  do  ye  more  than  others?  do  not  even  the 
Gentiles  the  same?  Ye  therefore  shall  be  perfect,  as 
your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect. — Matt.  5:43-48. 

It  is  of  the  first  importance  to  remember  that  a  Christian 
character  can  never  be  built  up  out  of  mere  obedience  to  a 
code  of  formal  rules,  even  such  rules  as  were  given  by  Jesus. 
The  spirit  and  motive  of  the  new  life  are  its  most  vital  charac- 
teristic. Most  of  the  ethical  and  social  precepts  of  Jesus  can 
be  paralleled  from  other  sources.  His  unapproached  suprem- 
acy as  a  religious  teacher  does  not  lie  in  the  originality 
of  his  ethics,  but  in  the  new  sanctions  that  he  brought  to 
duty,  and  in  the  dynamic  energy  of  the  spirit  and  motive 
with  which  he  reenforced  it. 

He  did  not  come  to  bring  a  new  law — even  a  superlatively 
good  law.  Nor  did  he  leave  his  disciples  struggling  in  the 
old  morass  of  legalism,  in  the  effort  to  win  God's  favor  by 
the  sheer  weight  of  their  well-deserving.     He  came  to  trans- 

15 


[II-4]  BUILDING   ON   ROCK 

form  life  by  bringing,  as  he  said,  a  gospel !  What  it  is  lies 
open  to  our  sight  in  his  revelation  of  God  as  our  Father, 
who  loves  us  in  spite  of  our  failures,  who  has  mercy  on  us 
and  forgives  us  freely.  "Be  merciful,"  he  says,  "even  as 
your  Father  is  merciful."  "Love  your  enemies  .  .  .  that  ye 
may  be  sons  of  your  Father."  This  proud,  glad  motive, 
humble  and  grateful,  is  the  only  motive  on  which  a  truly 
Christian  character  can  be  built  up.  The  spirit  of  a  spontane- 
ous gratitude  and  love  lies  behind  every  stage  of  its  con- 
struction. 

Second  Week,  Fourth  Day 

And  he  spake  unto  them  this  parable,  sa5dng.  What 
man  of  you,  having  a  hundred  sheep,  and  having  lost 
one  of  them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the 
wilderness,  and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he  find 
it?  And  when  he  hath  found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his 
shoulders,  rejoicing.  And  when  he  cometh  home,  he 
calleth  together  his  friends  and  his  neighbors,  saying  unto 
them.  Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have  found  my  sheep  which 
was  lost.  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  so  there  shall  be 
jpy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  more  than 
over  ninety  and  nine  righteous  persons,  who  need  no 
repentance. — Luke  15:3-7. 

These  three  parables  of  grace  stand  in  a  vital  relation  to 
the  type  of  character  that  Jesus  would  build  up  in  men. 
He  constantly  affirmed  that  the  life  of  a  man  should  be 
rooted  in  the  love  of  God.  But  what  sort  of  a  God  is  he 
thinking  of,  who  thus  lays  claim  on  the  devotion  of  men 
and  women  here  on  earth?  The  reasonableness  of  Jesus' 
insistence  depends  altogether  on  the  character  of  the  One  to 
whom,  he  says,  men  should  give  a  filial  loyalty.  And  these 
simple  stories  in  Luke  are  a  revelation  of  the  appealing  truth, 
almost  past  believing  in  its  gladness  for  humanity,  that  God 
is  like  that  father  of  the  wastrel  son,  thinking  of  him  and 
yearning  after  him  in  his  shame  and  disobedience;  so  that 
when  the  boy  turned  again  home,  the  father  ran  and  fell 
on  his  neck  and  kissed  him  and  royally  forgave.  Our  whole 
life  is  to  be  spent  in  the  presence  of  such  a  God  as  that. 
Every  day  his  love  is  our  possession,  and  every  day  we  face 
his  compassionate  sympathy  for  men  and  women  at  our  side. 

16 


FACING   TOWARD   GOD  [II-5] 

Such  a  faith  as  that  must  needs  have  a  tremendous  reaction 
on  character,  through  every  day  of  living. 

Second  Week,  Fifth  Day 

Beloved,  let  us  love  one  another:  for  love  is  of  God; 
and  every  one  that  loveth  is  begotten  of  God,  and 
knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not  knoweth  not  God;  for 
God  is  love.  Herein  was  the  love  of  God  manifested 
in  us,  that  God  hath  sent  his  only  begotten  Son  into  the 
world  that  we  might  live  through  him.  Herein  is  love, 
not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and  sent 
his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins.  Beloved,  if 
God  so  loved  us,  we  also  ought  to  love  one  another. — 
I  John  4:  7-1 1. 

We  cannot  leave  this  phase  of  our  subject  without  consider- 
ing the  bearing  on  it  of  Jesus'  own  life  and  death.  In  some 
respects  this  is  the  most  important  element  in  his  ethical 
and  social  message,  because  it  is  the  most  dynamic.  And 
only  a  certain  subtle  form  of  cowardice  could  lead  us  to 
leave  it  out  of  sight  for  fear  of  clinging  doctrines.  What 
he  was  and  did  has  a  moral  significance  and  power  for 
character-building  quite  above  any  sermon  he  ever  preached 
or  any  illuminating  story  he  told. 

He  has  lett  on  men's  minds  the  inextinguishable  convic- 
tion that  he  was  himself  the  revelation  of  the  character  of 
God.  His  graciousness  with  men,  his  sympathy  for  their 
needs  and  sorrows,  his  love  for  the  common  people,  his 
self-sacrifice  to  the  uttermost  limit,  all  express  the  loving- 
kindness  of  his  Father,  whose  will  he  did.  So  that  if  we 
believe  in  Jesus  as  a  teacher,  we  cannot  think  of  God  apart 
from  the  story  of  his  life.  And  it  is  inevitable  that  till  the 
end  of  time,  and  through  all  the  ebb  and  flow  of  theological 
discussion,  the  mystery  of  his  death  should  most  hold  men's 
attention,  because  of  the  amazing  comfort  of  what  it  reveals 
of  God — namely,  that  God  loves  men  even  to  the  point  of 
suffering  with  their  sorrow.  The  whole  motif  of  Jesus'  pro- 
gram for  human  life  is  love,  and  the  early  friends  of  Jesus 
felt,  and  said,  that  only  as  they  came  to  understand  Jesus' 
death  did  they  know  what  love  meant. 

This  may  be  beyond  our  present  interest  and  understand- 

17 


[II-6]  BUILDING   ON   ROCK 

ing.    If  so,  let  it  wait  to  find  its  own  place  as  the  years  pass 
and  life  unrolls  its  meaning. 

Second  Week,  Sixth  Day 

Now  after  John  was  delivered  up,  Jesus  came  into 
Galilee,  preaching  the  gospel  of  God,  and  saying,  The 
time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand: 
repent  ye,  and  believe  in  the  gospel. — Mark  i:  14,  15. 

And  the  Pharisees  and  their  scribes  murmured  against 
his  disciples,  saying.  Why  do  ye  eat  and  drink  with  the 
publicans  and  sinners?  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto 
them.  They  that  are  in  health  have  no  need  of  a  physician; 
but  they  that  are  sick.  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  right- 
eous but  sinners  to  repentance. — Luke  5:30-32. 

There  is  one  command  of  Jesus  that  seems  logically  to 
precede  even  the  great  invitation  we  have  been  considering. 
There  is  no  doubt  as  to  what  command  he  laid  first  on 
him  who  would  build  a  life  that  should  be  imperishable.  It 
stood  in  the  forefront  of  his  earliest  message,  "Repent  ye 
and  believe  in  the  gospel."  It  lay  behind  his  teaching  all 
along,  and  among  his  last  words  to  his  friends  was  the 
bidding  that  repentance  and  forgiveness  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  to  all  nations. 

Break  with  your  past,  so  far  as  it  is  evil.  It  is  the  first 
test  of  genuineness  in  all  religion.  Open  wide  the  way  of 
return  to  God.  Face  around  squarely  toward  him.  All 
discussion  of  social  or  ethical  duties  is  futile  if  one  is  con- 
sciously holding  on  to  some  element  of  disobedience  to  God's 
will.  If  enough  light  has  broken  in  on  us  to  show  that 
we  are  doing  wrong,  first  get  right  with  God,  -so  Jesus  says, 
before  inquiring  curiously  where  further  light  will  lead. 
Honesty  involves  repentance  as  the  first  step  toward  charac- 
ter, for  men  or  nations. 

We  should  lose  the  effect  of  this  message  if  we  did  not 
couple  it,  as  Jesus  did,  with  belief  in  the  glad  tidings.  John 
preached  a  repentance  based  on  fear  of  judgment.  Jesus 
preached  a  repentance  in  joy  at  the  good  news.  Because 
God's  kingdom  was  at  hand,  because  his  love  gave  assurance 
of  a  new  day  of  moral  triumph  for  men,  they  were  to  turn 
their  backs  on  the  old  disappointing  past. 

18 


FACING   TOWARD   GOD  [II-;] 

Second  Week,  Seventh  Day 

And  he  entered  and  was  passing  through  Jericho.  And 
behold,  a  man  called  by  name  Zacchaeus;  and  he  was  a 
chief  publican,  and  he  was  rich.  And  he  sought  to  see 
Jesus  who  he  was;  and  could  not  for  the  crowd,  because 
he  was  little  of  stature.  And  he  ran  on  before,  and 
climbed  up  into  a  sycomore  tree  to  see  him:  for  he  was 
to  pass  that  way.  And  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place, 
he  looked  up,  and  said  unto  him,  Zacchaeus,  make  haste, 
and  come  down;  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house. 
And  he  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and  received  him 
joyfully.  And  when  they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured, 
saying,  He  is  gone  in  to  lodge  with  a  man  that  is  a 
sinner.  And  Zacchaeus  stood,  and  said  unto  the  Lord, 
Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor; 
and  if  I  have  wrongfully  exacted  aught  of  any  man,  I 
restore  fourfold.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  To-day  is 
salvation  come  to  this  house,  forasmuch  as  he  also  is 
a  son  of  Abraham.  For  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. — Luke  19:  i-io. 

Jesus  spent  a  single  night  at  the  home  of  a  rich  grafter 
who  had  never  even  seen  him  before  that  day.  We  do  not 
know  what  passed  between  them  or  how  late  into  the  night 
they  talked.  Coming  as  his  friendly  guest,  it  is  doubtful  if 
Jesus  exposed  his  sins  or  urged  repentance.  It  was  not 
necessary.  In  the  morning,  Zacchaeus  stood  before  Jesus 
as  they  said  good-by,  and  heroically  took  on  him  the  strange 
yoke  of  Christian  love.  The  shameful  past,  whose  avarice 
and  selfishness  had  become  to  him  a  second  nature,  he 
utterly  forsook.  He  turned  about  so  completely  that  in  his 
own  town  he  must  have  been  a  nine  days'  wonder.  And  so, 
repenting,  he  found  the  heavenly  way  wide  open  for  him 
who  had  long  been  a  wastrel  and  a  slacker. 

And  this  is  the  influence  that  radiates  from  Jesus  Christ 
wherever  he  is  present — a  suggestion,  an  invitation,  a  com- 
pelling attraction,  to  repentance.  One  may  widely  discuss 
his  person  and  his  message  without  feeling  it ;  but  one  cannot 
spend  even  a  few  hours,  like  Zacchseus,  in  his  actual  com- 
pany, without  shame  that  he  is  not  better  than  he  is,  and  a 
true  longing  to  draw  nearer  God.  It  is  something  far  deeper 
than  a  command — it  is  at  once  a  divine  compulsion  and  a 
divine  energy. 

19 


[II-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

COMMENT   FOR  THE  WEEK 

I 

Many  a  country  lad  left  his  home  to  follow  the  lure  of 
the  sea,  in  the  old  days  of  sailing  ships,  thinking  that  all 
that  was  needed  to  make  him  as  good  a  sailor  as  the  best 
was  to  know  his  ship  and  her  rigging  and  her  behavior,  and 
how  to  handle  her  skilfully  in  all  sorts  of  weather — only 
to  discover  very  soon  that  he  could  never  make  a  master 
mariner  without  a  knowledge  of  the  heavens,  too,  and  of 
the  distant  constellations  of  the  night,  and  of  the  use  of 
logarithms,  so  as  to  be  able  to  calculate  his  position  from 
the  sun  and  stars,  and  thus  be  able  to  find  his  way  across 
the  world.  No  conceivable  mastery  of  the  technique  of 
the  ship  could  make  him  a  good  seaman  without  the  higher 
knowledge  of  navigation,  to  enable  him  to  put  his  seaman- 
ship to  useful  purpose. 

There  are  many  in  our  day  who  would  gladly  take  over 
the  ethics  of  Jesus  without  his  religion.  The  one  seems  to 
be  within  their  reach,  the  other  they  are  doubtful  about. 
They  covet  his  friendliness  and  sympathy  with  men,  his  truth 
and  strength  and  courage,  in  its  beauty  and  perfection.  They 
would  willingly  take  him  as  their  example.  But  we  no 
sooner  come  to  any  honest  attempt  to  imitate  Jesus  Christ 
than  we  discover  that  we  must  begin  further  back  than  with 
his  outward  acts — that  his  life  and  teaching  are  inseparable 
from  those  deep-seated  religious  convictions  that  made  him 
what  he  was.  His  ethics  are  so  interwoven  with  his  religion 
that  you  simply  cannot  have  one  without  the  other. 

The  very  atmosphere  in  which  he  lived  and  moved  was 
that  of  the  encompassing  presence  of  God.  The  strength 
and  gladness  of  it  colored  all  his  thought  and  speech  and 
action.  The  reflected  peace  and  kindness  of  his  Father's 
love  shone  unmistakably  in  all  his  relations  with  men  and 
women.  He  was  not  carrying  out  a  scheme  of  social  uplift, 
there  in  Galilee ;  he  was  living  out  the  spirit  of  the  Father 
of  the  household,  whom  he  knew  so  well.  His  life  faced 
toward  God  every  day,  as  a  flower  faces  toward  the  sun.  And 
one  could  as  easily  get  the  fragrance  and  color  of  a  rose 
without  the  sunlight  as  reproduce  the  beauty  of  Jesus'  charac- 
ter without  the  simple   faith  in  Almighty  Love   from  which 

20 


FACING    TOWARD   GOD  [II-c] 

it  sprang.  If  Jesus  had  one  day  trusted  in  his  Father's 
guidance,  and  the  next  had  wondered  whether  there  could 
be  any  personal  God  behind  this  sorry  scheme  of  things,  he 
never  would  have  been  a  helper  of  distressed  men,  or  a 
clear  light  for  unnumbered  generations  groping  in  the  dark. 

It  is  futile  to  talk  about  obeying  the  words  of  Jesus,  or 
following  his  leadership,  unless  we  place  at  the  beginning 
the  first  and  great  commandment,  as  he  did.  No  other  treat- 
ment of  his  commands  is  either  honest  or  intelligent.  We 
may  be  in  a  hurry  to  get  at  the  actual  technique  of  social 
service;  but  there  is  no  shorter  way  to  follow  him  in  this 
than  the  one  that  he  so  clearly  indicated.  Clubs,  for  ethical 
or  social  culture  one  may  join  without  having  any  definite 
views  as  to  the  nature  of  God;  one  may  even  insist  that  the 
latter  are  quite  unnecessary.  But  we  cannot  go  two  steps 
I  in  honest  obedience  to  Jesus  Christ  without  perceiving  that 
our  attitude  toward  God  is  of  the  very  essence  of  our  disciple- 
ship.  He  leaves  us  in  no  doubt  that  we  are  building  all  our 
life  on  the  sand,  if  we  turn  away  from  his  first  and  constant 
insistence  upon  loving  trust  in  the  eternal  Righteousness, 
who,  as  our  Father,  has  made  us  for  himself. 

If  we  cannot  follow  Jesus  at  this  point,  then,  for  the 
deeper  issues  of  life,  we  must  follow  some  other  leader. 
Herbert  Spencer,  for  example,  would  spare  us  this  embarrass- 
ment. If  we  could  drink  from  him  the  inspiration  and  moral 
power  to  make  us  what  we  want  to  be,  then  we  could  go  on 
with  our  character-building  free  from  concern  as  to  any 
Heavenly  Father,  or  our  duties  to  Him.  But  as  a  river  of 
living  water,  Herbert  Spencer  bids  fair  to  run  out  rather 
quickly  among  the  sands.  Jesus  continues,  a  river  of  life 
for  human  society.  But  his  social  message,  like  his  personal 
life,  is  inseparable  from  this  confidence  in  God.  Rock-built 
character  starts  further  back  and  lower  down  than  any 
generous  impulse  to  benevolence. 

II 

This  conviction  of  Jesus,  rooted  in  his  own  experience, 
is  reflected  in  the  command  which  he  lays  first  of  all  on  men, 
"Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God."  We  are  so  familiar 
with  it  that  it  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  how  unapproachably 
unique  it  is  among  all  the  commands  that  have  been  given 


[II-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

to  men.  In  reality  it  is  hardly  so  much  a  command  as  a 
title-deed  and  a  glorious  credential  for  mankind — a  credential 
of  divine  heredity.  Manifestly  it  knits  up  humanity  with 
God.  Fixed  as  we  are  here  on  earth  among  material  condi- 
tions, with  our  close  relation  to  a  material  environment 
written  in  our  very  bodies,  this  ancient  word  from  God 
sounds  on  from  age  to  age,  proclaiming  the  majesty  of  our 
spirits  and  giving  the  lie  to  all  the  forces  of  earthliness  and 
pessimism  that  would  claim  men  for  any  lesser  estate.  It 
claims  us  as  God's  own.  Nothing  of  human  limitation  or 
failure  can  dim  the  glory  of  its  promise. 

The  great  law-givers  of  the  nations — like  Buddha  or  Con- 
fucius or  Muhammad — were  content  for  the  most  part  to 
exact  obedience  from  their  followers.  They  do  not  ask  for 
love.  Only  one  asks  for  that,  and  Jesus  called  him  our 
Father.  We  recognize  at  once  that  if  he  asks  for  love  it 
must  be  because  he  loves,  and  therefore  craves  response,  as 
does  our  poor  human  fatherhood.  It  is  only  his  fatherly 
heart  that  makes  our  true  affection  of  consequence  to  him. 
The  gods  of  Greece  and  Rome  and  of  our  own  forefathers 
did  not  ask  for  such  a  thing  as  that.  Love  is,  so  to  speak, 
a  family  matter,  and  Zeus  and  Thor  were  separated  from 
their  worshipers  by  an  abyss;  unknown  and  awful,  they 
laid  on  men  their  commands,  but  asked  no  nearer  intimacy. 

But  Jesus  declared  that  God  so  thinks  of  us  that,  first  of 
all,  he  asks  us  for  our  love.  Surely  he  does  not  do  it,  as 
some  theologies  have  suggested,  to  mock  us  with  our  de- 
pravity and  abject  inability  to  respond;  but  only  because  we 
are  able  to  yield  what  gives  him  joy.  Men  may  despise 
themselves  or  cynically  condemn  their  fellows,  but  there  is 
not  one  so  low  that  God  does  not  invite  him  to  this  tran- 
scendent fellowship.  This  very  command,  that  Jesus  kept 
in  the  forefront  of  life's  obligations,  declares  everlastingly 
what  value  God  sets  upon  us,  and  what  kinship  of  spirit  he 
recognizes  even  among  the  most  depraved.  It  makes  it 
impossible  for  us  to  think  cheaply  of  ourselves  or  to  despise 
the  poor  and  ignorant.  It  binds  us  all  up  together  in  a 
fam.ily  of  divine  lineage.  We  may  think  out  the  implications 
of  it  very  slowly  or  imperfectly,  but  the  command  itself  is 
like  a  shaft  of  sunlight  falling  in  a  dark  place.  And  the 
dullest  man  can  see  how  character-building  is  a  different  thing 

22 


FACING    TOWARD    GOD  [II-c] 

if    it   starts   with   the    inspiration    of   a   royal    summons    such 
as  this. 

Ill 

It  is  a  fair  thing  to  ask  whether  there  is,  in  prosaic  fact, 
any  real  content  to  this  mysterious  duty  of  loving  an  Unseen 
Spirit.  Apart  from  the  common  duties  of  life  to  the  people 
of  flesh  and  blood  about  us,  is  there  a  "something  more" 
that  God  asks  for,  as  if  due  directly  to  himself?  We  like 
to  think  that  we  can  best  show  our  reverence  for  any  un- 
known Spirit  of  Good  by  a  life  of  honor  and  truth  and 
justice  toward  our  fellows ;  and  that  perhaps  it  is  unneces- 
sary, beyond  this,  to  make  exacting  demands  on  faith,  as 
though  he  expected  of  us  something  more  than  fidelity  to 
the  duties  well  within  our  understanding.  Life  would  cer- 
tainly be  simpler  if  it  needed  to  take  no  note  of  any  demands 
upon  it  beyond  those  we  can  see  and  measure  and  under- 
stand with  our  physical  senses. 

But  the  answer  is  that  we  simply  cannot  narrow  life  to 
these  dimensions.  Men  have  never  been  able  to  do  it,  and 
are  not  able  to  do  it  now.  Even  savage  races  have  the  idea 
of  this  "something  more"  that  is  expected  of  them  if  all  is 
to  go  well.  And  when  we  come  to  the  experience  and  example 
of  Jesus,  an  unmistakable  master  in  the  things  of  the  spirit, 
we  cannot  begin  to  consider  him  without  having  this  element 
in  his  life  thrust  on  our  attention.  The  unseen  Spirit  whom 
he  called  his  Father  played  at  least  as  active  a  part  in  his 
life  as  did  Peter,  or  any  of  his  daily  companions.  There 
seems  to  have  been  a  constant  reciprocity  of  thought  and 
feeling  between  them.  Jesus  gave  to  him  his  confidence, 
obedience,  affection,  and  received  from  him  direction  and 
assistance,  besides  the  sympathy  and  cheer  that  made  him 
the  joyful  man  he  was.  From  one  point  of  view,  Jesus' 
whole  life  seems  to  have  been  given  to  his  self- forgetful 
ministry  to  the  needs  of  men  and  women  about  him.  He 
lived  in  others  and  in  the  duties  of  here  and  now.  And  yet 
it  is  equally  certain  that  the  whole  outflow  of  his  generous 
activity  was  fed  by  this  inner  fountain  of  a  divine,  affec- 
tionate intimacy  that  never  faltered. 

This  very  element,  that  made  his  life  the  marvel  that 
it  was,  he  declares  should  be  the  controlling  element  in  the 

23 


[II-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

life  of  every  man.  And  if  there  is  such  a  God  and  Father 
as  he  believed,  we  cannot  escape  the  same  conclusion.  We 
have  an  unescapable  duty  of  conscious  filial  fellowship  with 
him.  God  has  made  us  for  himself,  so  Jesus  said.  He  wants 
us — wants  our  confidence,  our  obedience,  our  affection — 
wants  our  spiritual  fellowship.  And  so  Jesus  urged  men  to 
draw  closer  to  God ;  urged  them  to  talk  with  him :  to  talk 
with  him  freely  of  their  lives — of  their  needs  and  ambitions, 
even  of  their  shameful  failures.  He  tried  to  bring  them 
into  a  relation  of  happy  and  trustful  association  with  God, 
as  of  a  son  with  a  father,  so  that  the  powerful  influence  of 
that  high  and  holy  Spirit  might  penetrate  them  through  and 
through.  He  wanted  them  to  forget  themselves  in  loving 
service  to  their  fellowmen.  Assuredly  so !  But  he  wanted 
them  to  achieve  this  through  their  being  rooted  and  grounded 
in  love  themselves,  as  they  lived  each  day  in  the  enjoyment 
of  God's  goodness. 

It  is  a  weary  business,  sometimes,  to  walk  by  faith.  But 
can  you  see  any  way  to  avoid  it  if  one  is  to  be  what  Jesus 
wanted  men  to  be?  H  we  are  to  achieve  what  he  said  was 
possible  for  men,  then  every  day  we  have  need  to  walk  con- 
sciously with  our  F'ather  as  well  as  with  our  fellowmen. 
We  are  not  to  wait  till  this  life  is  through  before  we  begin 
the  intimacies  of  the  eternal  life.  Here  and  now  we  are  to 
be  in  living  touch  with  the  Almighty. 

One  is  reluctantly  obliged  to  admit  that  this  acquaintance 
and  fellowship  are  not  for  the  most  part  what  we  would 
have  them.  Let  us  frankly  admit  that  our  limitations  are 
painfully  oppressive.  We  would  like  to  have  such  an  ecstatic 
and  overwhelmingly  convincing  experience  of  God  as  would 
make  him  the  chief  object  in  our  field  of  consciousness, 
reassuring  us  once  for  all,  and  relieving  us  of  the  lifelong 
struggle  for  faith  in  so  contrary  a  world  as  this.  But  most 
of  us  are  not  religious  geniuses,  like  Paul,  and  some  of  us 
are  the  very  opposite  of  mystical,  both  by  temperament  and 
training.  And  even  Paul  said  that  now  we  know  in  part, 
and  at  best  see  darkly  as  in  a  mirror. 

We  shall  always  have  to  make  the  effort  of  attention  and 
spiritual  concentration  in  order  to  realize  our  Father's  love 
or  to  talk  with  him,  as  it  were  face  to  face.  We  shall 
always  have   to   fight  a  good   fight  of   faith   for   this   divine 

24 


FACING   TOWARD   GOD  [II-c] 

reenforcement  of  character,  and  our  daily  attainments  and 
experiences  in  this  field,  taken  one  by  one,  may  seem  to  us 
humiliatingly  small  and  insignificant.  Yet  in  the  long  run, 
year  after  year,  they  serve  to  bind  us  up  with  God  in  thought 
and  purpose  and — at  the  long  last — in  character.  Never  yet 
was  there  a  great  saint  who  was  satisfied  with  his  attainments 
in  this  heavenly  intimacy  of  the  child  with  the  heavenly 
Father.  And  yet  it  is  the  sublimest  element  in  the  life  of  the 
soul,  and  of  an  infinite  potency.  As  Edwin  Markham  has 
expressed  it  in  one  of  his  later  poems: 

"The  builder  who  first  bridged  Niagara's  gorge, 
Before  he  swung  his  cable,  shore  to  shore, 
Sent  out  across  the  gulf  his  venturing  kite 
Bearing  a  slender  cord  for  unseen  hands 
To  grasp  upon  the  further  cliff  and  draw 
A  greater  cord,  and  then  a  greater  yet; 
Till  at  the  last  across  the  chasm  swung 
The  cable — then  the  mighty  bridge  in  air ! 

So  we  may  send  our  little  timid  thought 
Across  the  void,  out  to  God's  reaching  hands — 
Send  out  our  love  and  faith  to  th-read  the  deep — 
Thought  after  thought  until  the  little  cord 
Has  greatened  to  a  chain  no  chance  can  break, 
And — we  are  anchored  to  the  Infinite !" 


25 


CHAPTER  III 


Facing  toward   Man 

DAILY  READINGS 

Third  Week,  First  Day 

Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself. — Matt.  22 :  39. 

If  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels, 
but  have  not  love,  I  am  become  sounding  brass,  or  a 
clanging  cymbal.  And  if  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy, 
and  know  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge;  and  if  I  have 
all  faith,  so  as  to  remove  mountains,  but  have  riot  love, 
I  am  nothing.  And  if  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the 
poor,  and  if  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  but  have  not 
love,  it  profiteth  me  nothing. — I  Cor.   13:  1-3. 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  real  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
has  never  been  popular.  It  is  too  costly — it  requires  too  much 
of  human  nature.  It  needs  to  be  ingeniously  shaded  off  into 
something  less  exacting  if  it  is  to  have  much  success  as  a 
popular  faith  or  a  state  creed.  The  constructive  principle 
of  all  character  building  under  Jesus  Christ  is  love — love 
both  for  our  Father  and  for  all  the  Father's  children.  And 
love,  as  we  all  know,  is  not  easy  to  come  by.  It  cannot  be 
pumped  up  mechanically  to  meet  the  demand,  as  can  any 
kind  of  religiosity  or  compliance  with  external  requirements. 
A  man  can  be  a  fanatic  in  religion  and  yet  wholly  fail  to 
know  what  love  is, 

Jesus  said,  over  and  over  again,  that  the  very  warp  and 
woof  oi  a  right  life  was  kindness  to  one's  neighbor.  It 
must  be  the  outstanding,  unmistakable  note  of  a  Christian 
life  or  a  Christian  church,  of  Christian  society  or  a  Christian 
state.  Worship  and  creed  and  sacraments  have  their  place, 
and  often  they  have  quite  filled  the  thought  of  religious 
leaders.     But  we   are  compelled  to   see,   when   we  get  close 

26 


FACING    TOWARD   MAN  fin-2] 

to  the  teaching  and  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  love  comes 
first  of  all. 

We  can  only  notice  here  that  Jesus  calls  for  this  un- 
selfish affection  toward  God  and  man  alike,  without  a  thought 
of  separation  between  the  two  obligations.  The  social  side 
of  religion  can  never  be  lost  sight  of  by  a  real  disciple  of 
Jesus.  One  might  as  well  claim  to  love  his  father  and  mother 
truly,  and  yet  despise  his  brothers  and  sisters  in  whose 
welfare  his  parents  are  wrapped  up.  All  the  long  education 
of  the  ages,  so  Jesus  said,  was  summed  up  in  this  attitude 
of  soul,  toward  the  God  whom  we  have  never  seen  and  the 
men  and  women  whom  we  know  so  well. 

Third  Week,  Second  Day 

Jesus  made  answer  and  said,  A  certain  man  was  going 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho;  and  he  fell  among 
robbers,  who  both  stripped  him  and  beat  him,  and  de- 
parted, leaving  him  half  dead.  And  by  chance  a  certain 
priest  was  going  down  that  way:  and  when  he  saw  him, 
he  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  And  in  like  manner  a 
Levite  also,  when  he  came  to  the  place,  and  saw  him, 
passed  by  on  the  other  side.  But  a  certain  Samaritan, 
as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was:  and  when  he  saw 
him,  he  was  moved  with  compassion,  and  came  to  him, 
and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  on  them  oil  and  wine; 
and  he  set  him  on  his  own  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an 
inn,  and  took  care  of  him.  And  on  the  morrow  he  took 
out  two  shillings,  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and  said, 
Take  care  of  him;  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest  more, 
I,  when  I  come  back  again,  will  repay  thee.  Which  of 
these  three,  thinkest  thou,  proved  neighbor  unto  him 
that  fell  among  the  robbers?  And  he  said.  He  that 
showed  mercy  on  him.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Go,  and 
do  thou  likewise. — Luke  10:30-37. 

So  long  as  men  live,  this  simple  story  will  bind  their 
consciences.  Because,  for  all  that  it  is  a  story,  it  declares 
the  will  of  God  as  categorically  as  the  ten  words  of  Sinai. 
Its  terrible  irony  burns  like  vitriol.  Its  quiet  commendation 
is  like  a  distinguished  service  order  from  God.  And  yet, 
though  everyone  in  our  day  is  compelled  to  applaud  it,  it 
is  like  one  of  the  thoughts  of  God  in  its  unlikeness  to 
ordinary  human  behavior.     Its  purpose  is   to  point  out  who 

27 


[Ili-3]  BUILDING    ON  ROCK 

our  neighbor  is  whom  we  are  called  to  love — simply  the  one 
who  needs  our  help,  the  one  whom  no  self-interest  draws 
us  on  to  aid,  but  who  makes  claim  on  us  in  his  trouble  just 
as  a  brother  in  God's  human  family. 

It  needs  a  touch  of  the  divine  compassion  in  order  to  meet 
this  test.  We  Americans  are  enjoying  our  altruism  toward 
the  Belgians  and  Armenians,  as  evidence  of  our  disinterested- 
ness. But  how  about  our  treatment  of  the  Negroes  and  In- 
dians and  Chinese  and  Mexicans?  Have  we  played  the 
Good  Samaritan  toward  them?  This  half-murdered  Jew  in 
the  story  was  of  a  race  highly  distasteful  to  his  benefactor, 
and  yet  he  had  pity  on  him.  Have  we  a  love  for  our 
neighbor  that  actually  crosses  the  border  of  our  tastes  and 
training,  and  kindles  our  imagination  to  the  wrongs  of 
people  whose  interests  are  by  no  means  parallel  to  our  own? 
That  is  what  Jesus  asks  for  as  the  habitual  temper  of  those 
who  would  build  character  on  the  rock  of  God's  approval. 

After  all,  the  parable  is  not  one  for  an  easy  popularity, 
save  as  we  apply  it  to  others  rather  than  ourselves. 

Third  Week,  Third  Day 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples,  If  any  man  would 
come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross,  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever  would  save  his  life 
shall  lose  it:  and  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my 
sake  shall  find  it.  For  what  shall  a  man  be  profited,  if 
he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  forfeit  his  life?  or 
what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  life? — ^Matt. 
16:24-26. 

This  command  is,  so  to  speak,  the  converse  of  the  one 
just  under  discussion.  A  Christian  must  love  his  neighbor; 
that  means,  in  practice,  that  he  must  forget  himself.  There 
is  not  much  room  for  discussion  of  the  matter.  The  neces- 
sity involved  may  be  distinctly  disagreeable,  but  it  is  plain 
as  day.  If  one  is  to  be  genuinely  concerned  for  others,  it 
means  that  his  own  selfish  concerns  must  retire  a  little  into 
the  background.  He  must  deliberately  put  himself  out  of  the 
road  as  an  absorbing  interest. 

Denying  self  does  not  mean,  as  it  has  so  often  been  inter- 
preted to  mean,  making  oneself  unhappy  or  miserable.  Some 
of   those  old   Christian   ascetics,   who   slowly  tortured  them- 

28 


FACING    TOWARD   MAN  [III-4] 

selves  for  years,  seem  to  us  to  have  been  supremely  self- 
centered.  They  were  thinking  of  themselves  and  their  piety 
above  everything  else.  Jesus  insists  that  his  disciples  must 
lose  sight  of  themselves  in  something  else  that  appeals  to 
them  just  as  much — in  his  kingdom  and  his  little  ones.  There 
is  nothing  about  this  that  is  unnatural  or  harsh.  We  are 
not  to  impoverish  or  to  afflict  ourselves,  but  to  find  rich  and 
eager  satisfaction  in  following  him  in  his  ministry  of  love. 
To  be  actually  in  a  good  fellowship  of  daily  service  with 
that  great  Friend  would  be  as  satisfying  in  America  today 
as  in  the  Galilee  of  long  ago. 

O  Lord!  teach  me  this  day  thy  joy  of  self-forgetfulness 
in  a  service  of  God  and  man  that  shall  grow  more  glad  and 
tnore  engrossing  year  by  year. 

Third  Week,  Fourth  Day 

And  as  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye 
also  to  them  likewise.  And  if  ye  love  them  that  love 
you,  what  thank  have  ye?  for  even  sinners  love  those 
that  love  them.  And  if  ye  do  good  to  them  that  do 
good  to  you,  what  thank  have  ye?  for  even  sinners  do 
the  same.  And  if  ye  lend  to  them  of  whom  ye  hope 
to  receive,  what  thank  have  ye?  even  sinners  lend  to 
sinners,  to  receive  again  as  much.  But  love  your  enemies, 
and  do  them  good,  and  lend,  never  despairing;  and  your 
reward  shall  be  great,  and  ye  shall  be  sons  of  the  Most 
High:  for  he  is  kind  toward  the  unthankful  and  evil. — 
Luke  6:31-35. 

We  all  agree  that  this  is  a  wonderful  saying.  It  reaches 
to  the  heart  of  the  social  problem  in  all  its  Protean  forms. 
A  man  who  really  shaped  his  character  on  these  lines  would 
be  a  singularly  pleasant  neighbor,  and  a  whole  community 
of  such  people  would  be  almost  too  ideally  agreeable  for 
belief.  And  yet,  for  most  people,  the  Golden  Rule  is  a  little 
like  the  multiplication  table — its  truth  is  cheerfully  conceded, 
but  it  is  too  familiar  to  be  interesting,  and  it  has  pretty  well 
ceased  to  be  stimulating  to  the  imagination. 

Jesus,  however,  lays  it  down  as  one  of  the  formative 
principles  of  character,  and  as  such  it  takes  daily  issue  with 
our  indolent  preoccupation  with  our  own  interests.  If  we 
let  our  imagination  work  upon  it  even  for  a  few  moments, 

29 


[III-5]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

it  becomes  almost  unpleasantly  suggestive.  Most  of  us  get 
along  with  it  peaceably  as  Christians,  only  by  taking  it  for 
granted  as  a  truism.  But  as  soon  as  we  begin  in  an  emer- 
gency to  act  on  Charles  Reade's  motto,  "Put  yourself  in  his 
place,"  and  try  to  obey  the  word  of  Jesus  from  that  enlight- 
ened viewpoint,  we  find  it  of  an  extraordinary  freshness, 
disturbingly  fruitful  in  suggestion.  It  is  the  revelation  of 
one  of  God's  thoughts  for  us,  and  so  it  often  brings  us 
to  confusion  by  very  contrast  with  our  own. 

Third  Week,  Fifth  Day 

If  therefore  thou  art  offering  thy  gift  at  the  altar,  and 
there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  aught  against 
thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy 
way,  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come 
and  offer  thy  gift. — Matt.  5 :  23,  24. 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for 
ye  tithe  mint  and  anise  and  cummin,  and  have  left  un- 
done the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  justice,  and  mercy, 
and  faith:  but  these  ye  ought  to  have  done,  and  not  to 
have  left  the  other  undone.  Ye  blind  guides,  that  strain 
out  the  gnat,  and  swallow  the  camel! — Matt.  23:23,  24. 

How  much  in  earnest  Jesus  was  in  these  commands  ap- 
pears from  such  sayings  as  the  two  quoted  above.  Men 
have  always  tended  to  believe  that  duties  to  God  were  more 
important  than  duties  to  men,  that  it  was  more  necessary 
to  propitiate  him  than  to  be  right  with  one's  fellows — some- 
what as  we  all  feel  that  it  is  better  policy  to  stand  in  with 
the  strong  than  with  the  weak.  In  all  lafids  the  priesthood 
has  at  times  led  the  faithful  to  believe  that  full  tithes  to 
God  were  a  more  sacred  obligation  than  full  wages  to 
laborers. 

Jesus  disgusted  the  religious  leaders  of  his  day  by  affirming 
the  opposite.  He  declared  justice  to  men  to  be  a  first  duty 
to  God.  Scrupulous  religious  tithes,  without  justice  and  mercy 
to  the  poor,  he  said  were  a  disgrace.  The  man  in  the 
trenches  is  in  sympathy  with  Jesus  when  he  feels  instinctively 
that  a  good  man  is  a  big-hearted  man,  and  a  good  pal,  and  a 
true  friend.  If  religion  gets  in  the  way  of  one's  sympathies 
with  his  fellows,  something  is  the  matter  with  the  religion. 

Jesus  plainly  says  that  lack  of  fair  dealing  with  men  will 

30 


fACING    TOWARD   MAN  [111-6] 

spoil  a  man's  approach  to  Gcd.  Many  a  student,  unable  to 
find  God,  thinks  that  he  is  held  back  by  doctrinal  or  philo- 
sophical difficulties,  when  the  heart  of  the  trouble  is  in  his 
wrong  or  selfish  treatment  of  his  neighbor.  One  cannot 
cheat  a  professor — perhaps  even  a  corporation — and  yet  find 
God  readily  in  prayer.  Christian  character  is  character  that 
finds  an  unobstructed  way  to  God  in  its  largehcarted  fairness; 
to  men. 

Third  Week,  Sixth  Day 

But  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and 
all  the  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  on  the  throne 
of  his  glory:  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  the 
nations:  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another, 
as  the  shepherd  separateth  the  sheep  from  the  goats; 
and  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the 
goats  on  the  left.  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them 
on  his  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world:  for  I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me  to  eat; 
I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink;  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  in;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was 
sick,  and  ye  visited  me;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came 
unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying, 
Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  hungry,  and  fed  thee?  or 
athirst,  and  gave  thee  drink?  And  when  saw  we  thee  a 
stranger,  and  took  thee  in?  or  naked,  and  clothed  thee? 
And  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto 
thee?  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them, 
Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one 
of  these  my  brethren,  even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  me. 
— Matt.  25:  31-40. 

Of  all  the  sayings  of  Jesus  perhaps  none  has  left  a  deeper 
mark  on  selfish  humanity  than  this.  Even  though  we  have 
been  at  war,  even  though  a  great  part  of  Christendom  has 
seemed  to  be  running  amuck  against  its  underlying  conten- 
tion of  mercy  to  the  weak,  never  has  its  influence  been  so 
profoundly  felt  as  at  this  day.  And  the  new  day  of  recon- 
struction will  draw  this  headstrong  world  a  little  nearer  than 
it  has  ever  been  to  the  thought  of  the  speaker  of  this  parable. 

Even  though  this  is  what  might  be  called  a  popular  teach- 
ing, it  is  a  marvelous   revelation   of   realities   undreamed   of 

31 


[III-7]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

by  the  multitude.  If  it  means  anything,  it  means  that  our 
suffering  world  is  all  bound  up  in  its  interest  with  the  unseen 
spiritual  world.  What  goes  on  here  is  noted  there.  The 
sick,  the  prisoners,  the  starving,  the  miserable,  are  God's 
little  ones.  Who  ministers  to  them,  ministers  to  the  great 
Friend  of  men.  Who  loves  them,  is  the  friend  of  God.  To 
our  natural  benevolence  it  adds  this  glorious  and  compelling 
motive  for  compassion. 

And  on  the  other  hand  this  one  word  "inasmuch"  deepens 
the  guilt  of  those  who,  m  their  march  to  power,  ride  down 
God's  little  ones.  Brutalities  against  the  weak  are  bad 
enough,  but  when,  in  their  wretched  persons,  one  strikes  at 
the  Lord  of  the  Kingdom,  then  even  "imperialism  might  well 
shrink  back  in  dread  from  ambitions  that  involve  trampling 
on  the  poor. 

The  disciple  of  Jesus  is  one  who  honestly  looks  to  see  his 
Lord's  face  in  the  faces  of  those  who  by  their  helplessness 
mutely  plead  with  us  for  help. 

Third  Week,  Seventh  Day 

And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought 
up:  and  he  entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into  the  synagogue 
on  the  sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  to  read.  And  there 
was  delivered  unto  him  the  book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah. 
And  he  opened  the  book,  and  found  the  place  where  it 
was  written, 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me. 

Because  he  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to  the 
poor: 

He  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives, 

And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind. 

To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised. 

To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 

And  he  closed  the  book,  and  gave  it  back  to  the  attend- 
ant, and  sat  down:  and  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue 
were  fastened  on  him.  And  he  began  to  say  unto  them. 
To-day  hath  this  scripture  been  fulfilled  in  your  ears. — 
Luke  4: 16-21. 

We  should  fail  to  get  the  full  effect  of  these  commands 
of  Jesus,  did  we  not  reenforce  them  by  the  lesson  and 
example  of  his  life.     After  all,  we  must  surely  understand 

32 


FACING    TOWARD   MAN  [III-c] 

by  what  he  himself  did  and  was,  what  he  would  have  us 
do  and  be.  And  it  is  a  perpetual  refreshment  to  noble  living 
to  remember  what  use  Jesus  made  of  his  few  years  among 
men.  In  the  verses  quoted  above,  he  tells  us  what  life  meant 
for  him — for  a  young  man  in  the  full  flush  of  health,  with 
popularity  and  influence  opening  before  him.  He  was  not 
thinking  how  to  squeeze  life's  orange  of  its  last  drop  of 
satisfaction  for  himself.  He  was  not  thinking  of  himself 
at  all — he  was  forgetting  himself  as  he  bids  us  do — but  he 
was  completely  mastered  by  his  sympathy  for  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  not  for  the  care-free  and  rich,  but  for  the  poor 
and  ignorant  and  oppressed,  whose  cry  went  up  before  God 
as  the  endless  cry  of  an  unknown  multitude  goes  up  today  in 
sorrow.  Life,  to  his  generous  soul,  meant  the  chance  to  help 
and  save.  And  he  spent  himself,  to  the  utmost  limit,  to 
bring  men  home  to  God  and  to  God's  peace.  So  his  life 
reenforced  his  words.  It  utterly  overflowed  them  and  sur- 
passed them.  It  made  forever  plain  as  the  sun  what  his 
religion  was  and  of  what  character  his  followers  must  be. 

He  who  zvould  build  upon  the  rock  must  somehow  find 
the  way  to  deny  himself  and,  like  his  Master,  live  in  the 
open  sunlight  of  love  to  God  and  men. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 
I 

What  a  place  this  world  of  men  would  be  by  now  if  the 
Christian  Church  had  always  kept  within  sight  of  Jesus' 
primary  requirement  of  his  disciples  !  We  may  talk  as  much 
as  we  will  of  the  beauty  and  simplicity  of  the  Galilean  Gospel, 
but,  when  it  comes  to  actual  living,  there  is  something  in 
human  nature  that  m.akes  it,  edge  away  in  practice  from  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  prefer  almost  any  substitute  for 
the  searching  demands  for  love  to  God  and  man.  Senti- 
mentally or  theoretically  they  are  very  agreeable  to  contem- 
plate, and  men  willingly  approve  them ;  but  they  go  right 
to  the  heart  of  human  deficiency  and  weakness,  and  expose 
our  need  of  a  divine  cooperation  if  we  are  to  obey  them 
successfully. 

Apparently,  in  the  past,  men  have  preferred  any  degree 
of    complexity    or    difficulty    or    dogmatic    severity    in    their 

33 


lIII-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

religion,  to  this  simple  summing  up  of  its  essential  meaning. 
Indeed,  as  we  look  at  church  history,  that  touching  saying 
of  Jesus  the  night  before  his  death,  "By  this  shall  all  men 
know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another,"  seems  like  a  biting  sarcasm.  And  in  spite  of  every 
fear  or  disappointment  that  men  may  feel  about  the  Church 
of  today,  there  is  reason  for  inexpressible  gratitude  and 
encouragement  that  we  are  giving  heed  as  never  before  to 
this  insistent  central  teaching  of  our  Lord  and  Master.  We 
do  not  need  to  try  to  be  more  spiritual  or  more  profound 
than  he  was  himself,  and  we  cannot  go  far  wrong  if  we 
daily  keep  in  sight  of  the  example  and  spirit  oi  his  life. 
No  doubt  we  shall  suffer  many  limitations  from  our  ignorance 
and  our  dull  blundering  grasp  on  great  truths,  but  we  shall 
at  least  be  saved  from  that  fatal  betrayal  of  his  cause  which 
is  written  all  too  plainly  across  centuries  of  ecclesiastical 
history. 

It  may  free  us  from  the  vagueness  of  mere  suspicion  in 
this  matter,  and  from  uncertainty  as  to  the  justice  of  such 
reflection  on  the  past,  if  we  look  intently  for  a  moment  at 
the  actually  prevailing  standards  of  character  in  the  Christian 
Church  at  a  far-off  time  that  yet  resembled  the  present,  when 
civilization  was  actually  threatened  by  Goth  and  Hun  and 
when  the  Church's  constructive  and  resistant  power  needed 
to  be  at  its  highest.  Take  the  latter  half  of  the  fourth 
century,  when  the  early  Church  was  still  fresh  and  strong — 
as  we  suppose — and  had  not  had  time  to  outgrow  the  cleans- 
ing fires  of  three  hundred  years  of  persecution. 

It  is,  of  course,  difficult  to  get  a  fair  insight  into  the 
actual  thought  and  life  of  the  time.  But  we  can  at  least 
get  a  true  picture  of  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the  organ- 
ized church  from  the  full  biographies  and  letters  and  writ- 
ings of  the  six  great  religious  leaders  of  that  period — 
Ambrose,  Jerome,  and  Augustine  in  the  west,  and  Basil, 
Gregory,  and  Chrysostom  in  the  east.  They  show  at  least 
in  faithful  detail  what  church  life  meant  to  them  in  their 
associations  with  their  fellow-clergy.  Only  one  word  can 
sum  up  what  it  meant,  and  that  is,  strife — not  strife  with  the 
heathen,  or  with  the  civil  power,  but  with  their  fellow-Chris- 
tians ;  not  strife  that  was  wholesome  or  constructive,  but 
strife  bitter  and  destructive  and  often  venomous.     They  were 

34 


FACING    TOWARD   MAN  lIII-c] 

good  men,  but  their  lives  were  one  long  battle  against  envy, 
slander,  and  abuse,  against  bribery  and  violence  and  blood- 
shed, at  the  hands  of  their  fellow-leaders  of  the  Church.  As 
Basil  wrote  pathetically,  after  one  of  his  journeys  among 
the  clergy  of  the  Eastern  churches,  "Each  is  more  eager  about 
his  own  wrath  than  his  own  salvation ;  each  aims  his  sting 
against  his  neighbor." 

Doctrinal  discussion  in  the  search  for  heresy  was  the 
chief  intellectual  occupation  of  the  age,  and  in  it  truth  and 
decency  were  largely  flung  to  the  winds.  The  ferocity  of 
much  of  the  discussion  is  what  most  impresses  one.  As 
Jerome  wrote,  for  example,  of  an  ambiguous  saying  of 
Origen's  that  could  be  taken  to  imply  an  inequality  between 
Father  and  Son,  "If  I  had  heard  my  father  or  mother  saying 
those  things  against  Christ,  I  would  have  torn  their  blasphem- 
ing mouths  like  those  of  a  mad  dog."  For  him,  it  was  only 
necessary  that  a  writer  should  diverge  ever  so  slightly  from 
what  he  deemed  the  orthodox  philosophy  to  be  thereafter 
a  "scorpion"  or  a  "slimy  serpent." 

If  this  was  true  of  the  great  leaders,  it  can  be  imagined 
what  were  the  excesses  of  the  fanatical  and  ignorant  monks. 
It  was  not  necessary  that  the  subject  of  the  quarrels  should 
concern  the  central  truths  of  the  faith.  One  heresy,  that 
of  the  Donatists,  that  lasted  a  hundred  years  and  embittered 
and  repeatedly  endangered  the  life  of  Augustine,  had  to  do 
only  with  a  matter  of  church  order ;  and  yet  the  violence 
was  such  that  one  party,  the  Circumcelliones,  not  content 
with  wholesale  bloodshed,  used  to  destroy  the  eyesight  of 
its  antagonists  by  rubbing  out  their  eyes  with  chalk  and 
vinegar. 

It  is  not  strange  that  superstitions  drifted  in  to  fill  the 
place  of  the  homely  simplicity  of  Jesus'  message.  The  wor- 
ship of  angels,  saints,  and  martyrs,  became  universal ;  bones 
and  ashes  and  relics  were  held  of  priceless  value  to  draw 
worshipers  to  shrines  and  chapels ;  and  the  ascetic  life  of 
the  celibate  came  to  be  the  refuge  of  those  who  sought  to 
escape  the  evil  of  the  world  around  them,  until  one  is  fairly 
bewildered  by  the  forgetfulness  of  the  real  Jesus  and  his 
teachings  shown  by  those  who  were  his  accredited  repre- 
sentatives and  who  yet  parted  from  his  leadership  at  every 
turn. 

35 


[III-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

With  all  our  failings  of  today,  we  have  yet  come  a  vast 
distance  since  that  time.  How  unthinkable  in  those  days 
of  self-will  and  passion  would  have  been  such  an  ecumenical 
church  council  as  was  held  a  few  years  ago  at  Edinburgh 
to  consider  foreign  missions,  where  men  like  John  R,  Mott, 
Robert  E.  Speer,  Lord  Balfour  of  Burleigh,  and  Professor 
Cairns  were  the  leaders,  and  where  the  spirit  of  mutual 
regard,  the  spirit  of  Christian  love,  was  in  control.  But  the 
advance,  so  far  as  there  has  been  advance,  has  been  in  the 
demand  for  reality  in  Christian  character,  for  actual  fidelity 
to  those  teachings  of  Jesus  that  even  a  plain  man  may  under- 
stand without  subtle  formulation  by  learned  theologians. 

Unquestionably  there  was,  more  or  less  out  of  sight  through 
all  these  years,  the  "remnant"  of  true  disciples,  as  in  Central 
Europe  today,  who  walked  humbly  in  faith  and  love,  and 
v/ho  kept  alive  the  continuity  of  the  true  brotherhood.  But 
the  spectacle  of  the  visible  Church  is  too  largely  that  of  a 
grim  travesty  on  the  real  teaching  and  example  of  Jesus 
Christ,  calling  as  that  does  for  brotherly  kindness  and  un- 
selfishness first  of  all. 

The  colossal  work  of  the  great  Christian  organizations 
in  camp  and  field  and  prison  has  been  an  object  lesson  in 
the  religion  of  Jesus — in  divine  love  ministering  to  the 
needs  of  men.  It  has  brought  Jesus  Christ  more  intelli- 
gibly near  to  humanity  and  has  visibly  interpreted  his 
Gospel.  When  one  contrasts  this  war  of  the  Allies  with 
the  so-called  holy  wars  of  the  Crusades,  that  moved  on 
amid  an  ever-present  and  all-encompassing  environment  of 
debauchery  and  cruelty  and  dishonor,  we  recognize  with 
humble  gratitude  that  the  Spirit  of  God  has  led  his  Church 
very  far  since  that  time,  in  understanding  what  Jesus  wanted 
of  men  and  what  it  is  to  believe  in  him.  The  oft-repeated 
declaration,  'T  will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice"  has  sunk 
deep  into  the  hearts  of  his  followers  since  those  days  of 
callous  inhumanity.  And  for  this  we  may  well  thank  God 
and  take  courage. 

II 

It  is  a  strange  thing  that  out  of  a  religion  so  elaborately 
sacerdotal  and  legalistic  as  Judaism,  should  have  come  a 
teaching  so  homely  and  unconventional  as  this  insistence  of 


FACING    TOWARD   MAN  [III-c] 

Jesus  on  the  supreme  duty  of  good  will  to  men.  Anybody- 
can  be  kind,  whereas  the  world  has  always  recognized  that 
it  requires  severe  training  and  great  natural  gifts  to  be 
an  adept  in  religion.  If  we  take  the  second  commandment 
and  the  Golden  Rule,  and  put  beside  them  Jesus'  picture  of 
the  Last  Judgment,  we  have  an  unanswerable  presentation 
of  the  supreme  demand  made  by  Christianity  fox  sympathetic 
kindness  in  all  human  relations.  It  is  obvious  at  a  glance 
that  Jesus  would  make  it  the  most  distinctive  trait  in  the 
character  of  his  disciples,  and  that,  just  in  proportion  as  one 
is  a  follower  of  Jesus,  he  is  bound  to  be  a  man  of  deep 
human  sympathies.  It  is  not  enough  to  be  a  man  of  clean 
life,  honorable  reputation,  and  reverent  spirit — or  even  of 
correct  views.  There  have  been  many  such  who  in  social 
relations  were  cold  as  ice,  and  who  simply  were  not  inter- 
ested in  common  people.  If  one  is  to  hear  the  words  of 
Jesus  and  do  them,  there  must  needs  be  a  spring  of  love 
in  his  heart  that  will  make  him  a  friend  of  men  and  a 
helper  of  those  in  trouble. 

Nothing  could  display  this  teaching  more  emphatically 
than  the  Parable  of  the  Last  Judgment.  The  basis  of  its 
awards  is  one  of  astonishing  simplicity — nothing  more  nor 
less  than  men's  treatment  of  their  fellows.  Jesus  evidently 
saw  in  this  the  deep  element  of  kinship  of  spirit  with  God, 
by  faith  and  love.  But  outwardly  it  looked  merely  like  com- 
mon kindness.  The  decisive  consideration  was  the  way  they 
had  carried  themselves  to  very  humble  and  even  socially 
objectionable  people — men  in  poor  clothes,  women  in  trouble, 
people  under  a  cloud,  at  whom  ordinary  folk  simply  stare 
coldly.  Good  Jews  would  have  felt  it  reasonable,  at  such 
a  time  of  stern  inquiry  as  the  judgment,  to  examine  closely 
into  one's  habits — whether  one  was  a  lover  of  the  law; 
whether  he  was  scrupulous  about  the  Sabbath ;  whether  he 
was  a  regular  attendant  at  the  synagogue,  made  his  temple 
offerings  frequently,  and  was  obedient  to  the  priest ;  or,  as 
a  loyal  Jew,  was  an  orthodox  adherent  of  Jehovah  and  a 
hater  of  all  Gentile  ways.  But  to  discard  the  whole  field  of 
such  religious  duties  for  an  inquiry  into  one's  relations  with 
beggars  and  prisoners  and  the  common  rabble,  this  was  a 
mere  trap  for  the  righteous,  whose  religious  duties  left  them 
little  time  or  patience  for  wasting  on  the  masses. 

Z7 


[III-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

It  must  have  been  bad  enough  in  their  thought  that  he 
who  called  himself  the  great  rabbi,  the  preacher  of  the 
people,  was  himself  a  sort  of  vagrant  philanthropist,  with 
no  school  like  Hiilel  or  Gamaliel,  with  no  dignified  seclusion 
or  reserve,  and  without  an  edifying  show  of  piety  or  learn- 
ing; merely  one  who  went  about  doing  good,  with  sick,  and 
cripples,  and  women  and  children,  and  tax-collectors,  and 
a  crowd  of  the  unwashed,  ever  following  him  about  and 
making  demands  upon  his  time.  A  man  who  was  teacher 
and  saint  and  prophet  should  have  had  more  self-respect 
than  to  be  at  the  beck  and  call  of  the  rabble,  healing  their 
sick  and  casting  out  demons  like  a  common  hireling  doctor 
or  exorcist.  All  this  was  humiliating  enough.  But  to  set 
up  these  undignified  habits  as  a  test  of  piety  for  faithful 
Jews,  for  the  guides  and  leaders  of  the  people — this  was 
deplorable.  Even  to  the  disciples,  this  picture  drawn  by 
Jesus  must  have  seemed  to  confuse  religious  values  in  a 
hopeless  tangle  of  perplexities. 

But  to  us  today  the  simplicity  and  winsomeness  of  his 
thought  grows  ever  more  clear  and  more  convincing.  We 
seem  to  see  quite  clearly  what  Jesus  meant  by  that  last  test 
of  worthiness — not  "dead  works,"  nor  dead  faith,  nor  any 
other  dead  or  useless  thing  whatever ;  but  a  living  participa- 
tion in  his  own  spirit,  so  much  of  a  share  in  his  life-spirit 
as  to  have  a  share  in  his  life-work.  His  life-work  was  loving 
helpfulness,  bringing  an  infinite  compassion  to  bear  on  human 
sin  and  need  and  sorrow.  And  those  who  were  with  him  in 
this  life-purpose,  ministers  to  their  brothers'  need — for  all 
their  imperfections,  these  were  the  sheep  who  stood  on  his 
right  hand.    This  is  the  perfect  fruit  of  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

Ill 

It  is  the  fruit  of  a  deeply  rooted  life.  At  this  point  the 
close  interrelation  of  the  first  and  second  commandments 
of  Jesus  should  claim  our  attention  for  a  moment  more. 
One  of  our  present-day  poets  has  very  cleverly  said,  with  a 
certain  inviting  speciousness,  "If  every  man  loved  his  neigh- 
bor as  himself,  this  world  would  be  a  paradise;  and  for  me 
this  purpose  is  all  the  creed  and  all  the  religion  that  I  want." 
It  needs  only  a  moment  of  reflection  to  perceive  the  thought- 
lessness of  such  an  utterance.     In  any  large  city  of  Christen- 

38 


FACING    TOWARD   MAN  [III-c] 

dom  you  could  gather  quickly  a  thousand  men  and  women 
who,  if  they  were  to  love  and  treat  one  as  they  love  and 
treat  themselves,  would  treat  him  with  such  injurious  folly 
as  would  presently  draw  him  body  and  soul  to  destruction. 
Why?  Because  so  many  men  are  themselves  the  prey  of 
dark  forces ;  they  are  the  sport  of  evil  tastes  and  habits ; 
they  are  mastered  by  avarice  or  passion ;  their  will  is  warped 
clear  away  from  righteousness,  and  in  their  highest  faculties 
they  are  like  men  crippled  or  blinded. 

This  is  the  problem  that  Jesus  faced — how  to  bring  back 
to  God  a  society  full  of  men  and  women  in  such  radical 
distress  and  need  as  this.  The  philosophy  that  would  make 
life  a  paradise  by  persuading  all  to  love  their  neighbor  as 
themselves,  and  going  no  further  in  relief  of  life's  thousand 
ills,  is  a  philosophy  for  those  blind  and  deaf  to  all  the  long 
tragedy  of  human  travail.  To  say  nothing  of  our  need,  at 
times,  of  infinitely  more  than  any  neighbor  can  do  for  us, 
both  love  of  self  and  love  of  man  have  first  to  be  made 
wise  and  right,  or  they  will  still  make  earth  a  place  of  misery. 

The  command  to  love  God  comes  first  by  an  obvious 
necessity.  It  calls  a  man  first  to  know  himself  and  honor 
himself  and  learn  to  love  himself,  in  purity  and  self-mastery 
and  righteousness,  as  one  whom  God  loves,  and  so,  living 
as  a  son  of  God,  to  love  his  neighbor  as  himself.  Such  a 
love  for  one's  neighbor,  informed  and  enriched  by  the  good 
will  of  our  Father,  would  indeed  go  far  to  make  this  world 
a  comfortable  home.  But  here  is  a  task  that,  the  more  one 
reflects  upon  it,  opens  up  vistas  of  far-reaching  need  that 
quite  outrun  the  powers  of  the  best  of  human  character  to 
overtake.  Would  it  were  true  that  "just  the  art  of  being 
kind  is  all  this  poor  world  needs" !  But  most  of  us  get  out 
into  the  stream  of  life  only  a  little  way  before  we  discover 
that  we  are  pitifully  unequal  to  cope  with  the  situation  by 
anything  our  utmost  good  will  can  do,  and  that  some  force 
is  needed  more  deeply  redemptive  and  reconstructive  than 
even  the  law  of  the  Golden  Rule.  Jesus  thought  so.  His 
life  and  death  made  luminous  to  men  what  force  he  thought 
this  was — even  the  living  energy  of  God's  love.  And  he  calls 
men  to  commend  it,  by  their  witness  of  victorious  living,  to 
all  God's  sons  and  daughters. 


39 


CHAPTER   IV 

The   Demand  for  Genuineness 

DAILY  READINGS 

Fourth  Week,  First  Day 

Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart: 

Try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts; 

And  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me, 

And  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting. — Psalm  139:23,  24. 

Sanctimonious  cant  and  pious  humbug  have  always  .been 
associated  with  religion.  But  they  cannot  be  associated  with 
the  real  discipleship  of  Jesus,  because  his  presence  dissipates 
them  as  a  strong  north  wind  scatters  the  fog.  If  he  were 
with  us  we  should  feel  instantly  the  force  of  his  whole 
personality,  challenging  candor  and  honesty  on  our  part  in 
answer  to  his  own  straightforward  manhood. 

One  of  the  first  elements  of  character  on  which  he  insists 
is  genuineness.  A  true  man  must  be  of  a  limpid  sincerity, 
toward  God  as  well  as  toward  his  fellows.  He  must  be 
honest  before  all — the  inward  and  the  outward  agreeing. 
Unreality  in  religion  is  odious  alike  to  God  and  man. 

Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  righteousness  before 
men,  to  be  seen  of  them:  else  ye  have  no  reward  with 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 

When  therefore  thou  doest  alms,  sound  not  a  trumpet 
before  thee,  as  the  hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and 
in  the  streets,  that  they  may  have  glory  of  men.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you.  They  have  received  their  reward.  But 
when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what 
thy  right  hand  doeth:  that  thine  alms  may  be  in  secret: 
and  thy  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  shall  recompense 
thee. — Matt.  6: 1-4. 

40 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUINENESS      [IV-2] 

If  it  were  one  of  us  who  was  speaking  on  the  subject  of 
genuineness  in  religion,  we  would  not  begin  with  the  matter 
of  giving  money.  Perhaps  some  of  us  would  not  have  much 
to  talk  about  if  character  were  to  be  appraised  from  that 
angle.  But  the  Jews  had  a  somewhat  wooden  division  of 
righteousness  into  three  parts — almsgiving,  prayer,  and  fast- 
ing. He  who  attended  to  these  three  great  duties  was  the 
conventionally  righteous  man.  Jesus  followed  this  classifica- 
tion. It  would  let  in  the  light  upon  his  theme  as  well  as  any 
other. 

The  arresting  thought  for  us  in  this  passage  is  that  Jesus 
so  evidently  regards  the  prosaic  matter  of  the  way  in  which 
we  spend  a  few  dollars  as  a  sacred  engagement  between 
ourselves  and  God.  He  is  concerned  in  it.  It  depends  not 
so  much  on  what  the  public  asks  of  us,  or  on  what  the 
Church  expects,  but  on  the  reality  of  our  filial  relation  with 
our  Father.  If  .we  are  like  him  in  spirit,  or  want  to  be 
like  him,  we  simply  cannot  help  sharing  some  of  our  good 
things  with  those  less  fortunate  than  we.  It  is  a  spontaneous 
expression  of  love,  both  for  him  and  his.  He  sees  and  notes 
it,  as  he  notes  every  such  offering  of  grateful  love.  We  are 
gladdened  by  his  response,  in  which  there  cannot  fail  to  be 
a  blessing.  This  is  the  reward  of  which  Jesus  speaks.  But 
if  we  use  our  benevolence,  as  the  Pharisees  did,  to  gain 
the  applause  of  men,  then  we  stand  exposed  as  playing  to 
the  gallery.  We  are  play-actors,  that  is,  hypocrites — appear- 
ing to  serve  God,  but  really  seeking  to  serve  ourselves.  We 
are  caught  in  the  net  of  unreality ;  we  are  building  on  sand. 

Fourth  Week,  Second  Day 

And  when  ye  pray,  ye  shall  not  be  as  the  hypocrites: 
for  they  love  to  stand  and  pray  in  the  synagogues  and 
in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of 
men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  received  their 
reward.  But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thine 
inner  chamber,  and  having  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy 
Father  who  is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  who  seeth  in 
secret  shall  recompense  thee.  And  in  praying  use  not 
vain  repetitions,  as  the  Gentiles  do:  for  they  think  that 
they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking.  Be  not 
therefore  like  unto  them:  for  your  Father  knoweth  what 
things  ye  have  need  of,  before  ye  ask  him. — Matt.  6:5-8. 

•     41 


[IV-3]  BUILDING    ON    ROCK 

Later  on  we  shall  be  considering  Jesus'  views  as  to  the 
place  of  prayer  in  the  building  of  character.  At  this  time 
we  only  need  to  note  the  plain  reasonableness  of  his  demand 
for  an  intense  simplicity  and  reality  about  it.  If  it  means 
anything  at  all.  it  means  the  transcendent  converse  of  our 
spirits  with  the  Spirit  of  God.  A  thousand  forces  are  hurry- 
ing us  along  the  stream  of  purely  material  interests  in  our 
crowded  daily  life — suddenly,  we  stand  still  in  the  midflow 
of  these  physical  preoccupations  and  reach  out  into  the  un- 
seen eternity  for  God.  He  may  be  closer  at  hand  than  the 
sights  and  sounds  that  fill  our  eyes  and  ears,  but  he  is  in  a 
great  silence,  in  another  thought-world  than  that  of  this 
rush  of  human  striving  in  which  we  live. 

It  is  wonderful  and  beautiful  beyond  words,  that  we  should 
be  able  in  an  instant's  turning  of  the  mind  to  talk  thus  with 
our  Father  who  inhabits  eternity.  But,  Jesus  says,  to  do  this 
we  must  concentrate  attention — we  must  withdraw  ourselves 
from  the  confusion  of  the  crowd  and  the  clamor  of  sense- 
appeals,  and  give  ourselves  intently  to  the  sacred  business 
of  the  moment.  To  use  prayer  as  a  show,  or  as  a  means  of 
acquiring  merit,  or  a  mere  form  of  outivard  worship,  or  as 
anything  but  what  it  is — the  simple,  sublime  converse  of  a 
child  zvith  his  Father — is  to  part  company  with  reality  and 
play  zvith  an  illusion. 

Fourth  Week,  Third  Day 

Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.  For  with  what  judg- 
ment ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged:  and  with  what  measure 
ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  unto  you.  And  why  be- 
holdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but 
considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye?  Or 
how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Let  me  cast  out  the 
mote  out  of  thine  eye;  and  lo,  the  beam  is  in  thine  own 
eye?  Thou  hypocrite,  cast  out  first  the  beam  out  of  thine 
own  eye;  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the 
mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye. — Matt.  7:1-5. 

This  is  another  type  of  unsoundness  of  character,  against 
which  Jesus  is  severe.  Some  of  us  might  hardly  agree  with 
him,  at  first  thought,  because  the  world  counts  it  distinctly 
clever  to  have  a  sharp  critical  faculty,  keen  at  dissecting 
other  people's  foibles  and  follies.    It  not  only  gives  a  piquancy 

42 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUIXEXESS       [IV-4] 

to  one's  own  conversation,  but  carries  the  agreeable  sugges- 
tion that  the  critic  himself  is  wiser  or  better  than  those  he 
exposes.  But  to  Jesus,  this  quality  of  character,  complacent 
and  excusing  toward  itself  but  ungenerously  severe  toward 
others,  is  contemptible  because  blundering  and  self-deceived. 
We  do  well  to  shun  carefully  a  habit  that,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Master,  was  a  peril  to  noble  living. 

In  the  famous  dedication  to  the  Life  of  Charles  Kingsley, 
he  is  spoken  of  as  "Stern  to  all  forms  of  wrong  and  oppres- 
sion, yet  most  stern  to  himself."  Obviously  no  man  can  be 
true  to  the  interests  of  society  or  church  or  state  and  not 
at  times  speak  out  what  he  believes  to  be  the  truth  as  to  the 
wrongdoings  or  deficiencies  of  others.  A  Christian  man  who 
abdicates  all  exercise  of  the  critical  faculty  is  a  poor  fighter 
for  any  worthy  cause  and  a  grievous  irritation  to  his  friends. 
But  if  he  is  a  disciple  of  Jesus  he  will  be  genuinely  honest, 
in  that  he  judges  himself  first  and  most  severely,  and  judges 
others  only  reluctantly  and  with  generosity,  as  he  would 
himself  be  judged. 

Fourth  Week,  Fourth  Day 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time, 
Thou  shalt  not  kill;  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  judgment:  but  I  say  unto  you,  that  every 
one  who  is  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  in  danger  of 
the  judgment;  and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother, 
Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council;  and  whosoever 
shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  hell  of  fire. 
— Matt.  5:  21,  22. 

Let  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor, 
and  railing,  be  put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice:  and 
be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  tenderhearted,  forgiving  each 
other,  even  as  God  also  in  Christ  forgave  you. — Eph. 
4:31,  32. 

Here  is  a  sidelight  upon  Jesus'  idea  of  what  the  brotherly 
spirit  really  demands  of  men.  It  is  not  enough  to  make 
professions  of  sympathy  or  good  will,  or  to  refrain  from 
actual  violence  towards  the  one  who  offends  us.  Jesus  makes 
it  plain  that  he  who  searches  the  heart  will  be  content  with 
nothing  less  than  a  persevering,  brotherly  good  will  toward 
our    neighbor,    even    under   provocation.      How    could    it    be 

43 


iIV-5]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

otherwise,  if  we  are  all  God's  children?  He  forbids  not 
only  open  violence,  but  the  bitterness  and  rancor  of  spirit 
that  flames  out  in  contemptuous  or  savage  language.  To 
have  one's  heart  defiled  with  hatred,  made  bitter  and  evil 
by  harbored  ill  will,  carries-  with  it  an  inevitable  and  painful 
retribution.  It  shuts  one  out  from  God.  The  sight  of  a 
follower  of  Jesus  trying  to  find  words  bitter  and  cruel 
enough  to  express  his  hate,  is  something  monstrous  in  its 
incongruity.  It  is  a  perilous  thing  to  throw  the  reins  on 
the  neck  of  one's  passion,  even  against  an  unscrupulous 
enemy,  and  to  search  for  every  venomous  and  stinging  word 
that  we  can  bring  against  him.  However  it  may  affect  him, 
it  injures  us.  It  reacts  against  the  very  element  in  character 
that  is  most  divine — the  spirit  of  our  Lord's  gentleness  and 
compassion,  that  refuses  to  be  blasted,  even  by  human 
wickedness. 

Fourth  Week,  Fifth  Day 

Again,  ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old 
time,  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt  perform 
unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths:  but  I  say  unto  you.  Swear 
not  at  all;  neither  by  the  heaven,  for  it  is  the  throne  of 
God;  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  the  footstool  of  his  feet; 
nor  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King. 
Neither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy  head,  for  thou  canst 
not  make  one  hair  white  or  black.  But  let  your  speech 
be.  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay:  and  whatsoever  is  more  than 
these  is  of  the  evil  one. — Matt.  5:33-37. 

It  is  a  curious  thing  that  the  ideal  of  a  perfectly  truthful 
life  should  have  been  given  us  by  an  Oriental.  The  difficulties 
of  administering  justice  in  the  courts  anywhere  in  the  Far 
East,  even  until  today,  are  an  amazement  to  the  Anglo-Saxon, 
because  his  moral  inheritance  does  not  enable  him  to  imagine 
what  complete  indifference  to  the  truth  may  mean.  Biit 
Jesus  grew  up  amid  the  endless  deceits  and  trickeries  of 
Asiatic  village  life.  And  from  him  came  our  vision  of 
knightly  honor — of  the  word  of  a  gentleman,  true  as  steel. 

The  Church  has  known  endless  tergiversation  and  dis- 
ingenuousness,  until  men  have  sometimes  looked  with  sus- 
picion on  an  ecclesiastic  just  because  of  his  religious  training. 
But   the   man    who   builds   his    character   after   the    Master's 

44 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUINENESS      [IV-6] 

pattern  has  always  been  a  man  of  high  honor,  churchman  or 
not.  How  could  he  be  anything  else,  while  daily  inviting  that 
divine  scrutiny?  Many  of  us  love  to  remember  the  excla- 
mation of  Livingstone's,  written  in  peril  of  death  that  night 
on  the  bank  of  the  River  Loangwa,  when  he  steeled  himself 
to  courage  by  a  promise  of  Jesus,  "It  is  the  word  of  a 
gentleman  of  the  most  sacred  and  strictest  honor,  and  there 
is  an  end  on't."  Jesus  would  have  his  disciples  like  himself, 
sensitive  to  truth,  hating  a  lie ;  not  needing  to  bolster  up  with 
oaths  their  affirmations,  as  the  custom  was  and  is,  but  so 
transparently  genuine  that  God  and  man  alike  would  know 
they  meant  what  they  said. 

Fourth  Week,  Sixth  Day 

Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth:  but  if  the  salt  have  lost 
its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted?  it  is  thenceforth 
good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden  under 
foot  of  men.  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city  set 
on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men  light  a  lamp, 
and  put  it  under  the  bushel,  but  on  the  stand;  and  it 
shineth  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house.  Even  so  let  your 
light  shine  before  men;  that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven. — Matt. 
5:13-16. 

All  of  us  like  praise.  At  the  same  time  we  do  not  like 
so  much  praise  as  to  put  us  in  the  uncomfortable  position 
of  being  too  highly  estimated  and  so  having  too  much  ex- 
pected of  us.  Perhaps  a  Pharisee  would  have  taken  these 
words  of  Jesus  with  serene  relish.  But  we  are  not  Pharisees. 
We  are  rather  inclined  to  deprecate  such  strong  language 
as  applied  to  ourselves.  On  the  whole  we  would  a  great 
deal  prefer  not  to  be  called  the  salt  of  the  earth  or  the  light 
of  the  world.  We  would  rather  move  in  a  modest  twilight 
of  amateur  efTort,  that  cannot  commit  us  to  anything  very 
formidable  in  the  way  of  expectations. 

But  Jesus'  idea  of  Christian  character  leaves  no  room 
for  such  enervating  modesty.  He  gives  it  the  full  spur  and 
tonic  of  a  divine  order  of  merit.  He  was  under  no  illusion 
as  to  the  moral  perfection  of  those  rough,  undisciplined  men 
to  whom  he  spoke.  Well  he  knew  that  they  were  no  saints. 
But  he  knew  the  direction  of  their  life-choice,  he  understood 

45 


lIV-7]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

the  brave  venture  of  their  faith,  and  as  one  who  knew  human 
societ}'  and  all  its  needs  he  said  unhesitatingly,  "Ye  are  the 
salt  of  the  earth."  If  they  were  genuine,  they  must  needs 
be  that.  If  they  were  honestly  his  disciples,  they  would  prove 
to  be  the  light  of  the  world. 

He  disapproves  our  nebulous  land  of  half-lights  and  com- 
promise, where  we  can  walk  by  easy-going  standards.  If  we 
are  honest  we  must  stand  out  in  the  open,  men' of  confessed 
faith  and  obedience  toward  God ;  and  then  some,  at  least, 
will  be  grateful  to  God  that  we  have  lived. 

No  service  zvc  can  render  society  ivill  be  more  gratefully 
received  than  this,  that  we  should  make  it  a  little  easier 
for  men  to  believe  in  God. 

Fourth  Week,  Seventh  Day 

And  there  are  gathered  together  unto  him  the  Phari- 
sees, and  certain  of  the  scribes,  who  had  come  from 
Jerusalem,  and  had  seen  that  some  of  his  disciples  ate 
their  bread  with  defiled,  that  is,  unwashen,  hands.  .  .  . 
And  the  Pharisees  and  the  scribes  ask  him,  Why  walk 
not  thy  disciples  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  elders, 
but  eat  their  bread  with  defiled  hands?  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Well  did  Isaiah  prophesy  of  you  hypocrites, 
as  it  is  written, 

This  people  honoreth  me  with  their  lips, 

But  their  heart  is  far  from  me. 

.  .  .  And  he  called  to  him  the  multitude  again,  and 
said  unto  them,  Hear  me  all  of  you,  and  understand: 
there  is  nothing  from  without  the  man,  that  going  into 
him  can  defile  him;  but  the  things  which  proceed  out  of 
the  man  are  those  that  defile  the  man. — Mark  7:1,  2, 
5,  6,  14,  15, 

To  the  average  man  in  the  street  today  these  words  would 
seem  ordinary  common  sense,  so  obvious  is  their  truth.  But 
they  were  dangerous  words  in  the  thought  of  the  best  men 
of  Jesus'  time,  and  marked  him  as  a  revolutionary  as  surely 
as  if  he  had  been  a  soap-box  orator  declaiming  against  society. 
All  the  nice  discriminations  of  manner  and  custom  that 
marked  oflF  religious  people  from  the  non-religious,  slowly 
built  up  through  the  centuries,  he  seemed  to  set  at  nought. 
If  love  was  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  if  only  the  inner  state 

46 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUINENESS       [IV-c] 

of  the  heart  was  what  God  considered,  what  was  the  use  of 
the  thousand  and  one  enactments  and  prohibitions  of  law 
and  tradition,  that  hedged  off  the  pious  few  from  the 
ignorant,  unclean  masses  of  the  people  and  the  Gentiles? 
One  only  needed  to  ask  the  question  to  show  how  ridiculous 
the  contention  of  Jesus  was,  so  they  thought. 

And  yet  today  Jesus'  way  of  judging  moral  values  has 
become  a  commonplace.  That  is,  it  is  coming  to  be  a  com- 
monplace ;  for  the  old  dependence  on  pious  externalities,  with 
no  touch  of  love  and  service  about  them,  has  a  strong  grip 
on  many  of  us  yet.  If  we,  coming  from  Christian  homes, 
live  orderly  decent  lives,  fairly  correct  and  even  religious, 
by  sheer  force  of  training  and  habit,  we  are  likely  to  think 
it  makes  us  all  right  jvith  God.  Outwardly,  we  put  up  a 
pretty  good  front;  no  one  could  find  much  fault  with  our 
lives.  But  God  looketh  upon  the  heart !  What  are  its  tastes 
and  thoughts  and  desires?  Is  it  love  that  lies  deepest,  keep- 
ing us  humble  and  grateful  and  eager  to  help,  or  is  it  self- 
love  and  self-will? 

To  follozv  Jesus  is  to  have  this  demand  for  genuine  loyalty 
to  his  spirit  pressed  home  with  fresh  insistence  every  day, 
until  little  by  little  it  begins  to  tell. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 


Surely  there  w^s  never  a  religious  teacher  who  laid  such 
stress  on  reality  as  Jesus.  He  was  no  dreamy-eyed  mystic, 
gazing  ecstatically  on  a  far-off  heavenly  world  of  saints  and 
angels.  He  was  building  a  new  kingdom  out  of  the  stuff  that 
lay  just  ready  to  his  hand — men  and  women  with  all  the 
faults  and  limitations  of  society  at  that  Syrian  level.  They 
delighted  in  religion,  like  all  Semitic  peoples.  But  they  had 
little  use  for  stern  self-restraint  for  altruistic  ends.  They 
much  preferred  the  old-time  sacrifices  of  the  temple  worship. 

How  well  Jesus  understood  them — he  who  had  grown  up 
as  one  of  them !  But  "he  refused  to  draw  any  dividing  line 
between  religion  and  the  everyday  moralities  of  the  home 
and  market.  To  do  the  will  of  God  was  his  religion,  and 
it  was  his  ideal  of  character,  as  well.     Both  have  to  do  with 

47 


[IV-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

the  unseen  God  who  searcheth  the  hearts,  yet  both  work  out 
openly  in  the  commonplace  social  relations  of  daily  living; 
so  that  all  pretense  or  make-believe  or  pious  camouflage  of 
any  description  are  wholly  useless,  and  actively  hurtful  be- 
cause they  blind  the  eye  of  the  soul.  Unless  a  man  is 
genuinely  in  earnest,  he  will  make  a  sorry  figure  as  a  pro- 
fessed follower  of  such  a  Teacher. 

This  being  so,  one  would  suppose  that  the  Church  of  Jesus' 
disciples  would  have  been,  through  all  the  years,  scrupulously 
earnest  in  its  insistence  on  a  genuine  heart-loyalty  to  his 
ideals.  It  is  a  shocking  thing  to  realize  that  through  a  large 
part  of  so-called  Christendom  until  today,  just  the  opposite 
is  true.  Unreality  and  formal  make-believe  and  callous  in- 
difference to  social  obligations  are  , rampant,  just  as  they 
were  among  the  men  who  listened  so  angrily  to  Jesus  when 
he  spoke  the  words. 

One  might  almost  be  inclined  to  think,  at  first,  that  the 
readings  for  this  week,  illustrating  Jesus'  demand  for  genuine- 
ness, were  hardly  necessary  for  our  generation.  They  are 
like  truisms.  One  might  take  them  for  granted,  so  deeply 
have  they  entered  into  the  moral  perception  of  our  time. 
But  they  are  anything  but  truisms.  One  cannot  consider 
them  too  deeply,  or  take  home  their  lesson  too  earnestly 
and  humbly.  It  is  just  because  learned  men  have  outwardly 
approved  but  inwardly  rejected  them  that  our  world  has  been 
passing  through  an  agony  of  distress  and  bloodshed,  now  in 
our  time. 

It  would  be  well  if  everyone  could  read  a  book  like 
Franck's  "Vagabonding  through  the  Andes."  It  is  a  singu- 
larly entertaining  record  'of  travel,  but  its  value  for  our 
purpose  lies  in  its  endless  series  of  vivid  word  pictures, 
accurate  as  a  photograph,  of  the  unconscious  but  appalling 
chasm  between  religion  and  reality  among  the  masses  in 
those  Andean  countries.  Fanatically  attached  to  Christianity 
as  they  know  it,  living  always  within  sound  of  clangorous 
church-bells,  they  yet  see  no  incongruity  either  for  priest 
or  people  between  that  profession  and  the  actual  practice 
of  lying,  drunkenness,  immorality,  and  kindred  vices.  They 
live  and  move  and  have  their  being  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
illusion,  namely,  that  they  are  Christian. 

Nor  can  we  utterly  disclaim  the  presence,  even  among  our 
48 


THE  DEMAXD  FOR  GENUINENESS       [IV-c] 

strictest  reformed  churches,  of  a  similar  lack  of  reality  in 
estimating  moral  values,  especially  in  relation  to  our  Master's 
demand  for  love.  Even  in  clear-thinking  Scotland,  not  so 
many  years  ago.  a  man  might  be  a  harsh  father  and  an 
avaricious  neighbor  without  injury  to  his  church  standing, 
when  a  breach  of  Sabbath  decorum  or  an  openly  expressed 
doubt  as  to  a  doctrine  in  the  Confession  would  have  sub- 
jected him  to  immediate  censure  and  suspicion.  And  our 
own  immediate  circle,  to  say  nothing  of  our  own  lives,  will 
furnish  instances  enough  of  the  same  tendency  to  set  up 
other  and  less  exacting  standards  than  those  of  Jesus,  to 
which  we  profess  allegiance.  One  may  put  up  a  most  satis- 
fying pretense,  while  yet  cold-hearted  and  self-willed.  But 
Jesus  demands  of  men  such  a  life  as  only  a  loving  heart, 
however  it  is  to  be  come  by,  can  make  possible.  Clever 
dialectic  and  all  subterfuge  he  brushes  to  one  side. 

II 

Our  twentieth  century  thought,  like  that  of  the  first  cen- 
tury, is  disposed  to  regard  men  as  the  spectators  and  society 
as  the  final  judge  of  moral  conduct.  If  humanity  applauds, 
well  and  good — we  may  rest  content.  Just  so  far  as  our 
estimates  are  dependent  on  the  glory  of  men,  they  are  out 
of  touch  with  the  teaching  of  Jesus.  He  was  not  in  the 
least  abashed  to  assert  that  every  man  lives  in  so  close  a 
relation  with  his  Heavenly  Father  that  day  by  day  he  is 
under  God's  most  real  and  solicitous  observation.  And 
anyone  who  forgets  this,  or  lives  as  in  the  sight  of  men 
only,  is  likely  to  be  betrayed  into  grievous  defects  of 
character. 

We  all  understand  today  that  life  is  measured  by  the 
correspondence  of  inner  to  outer  relations.  If  one's  moral 
life  is  adjusted  only  to  our  human  world,  without  reference 
to  that  vital  spiritual  environment  of  God's  presence,  it  goes 
crippled  of  its  true  resources.  Maladjustment  means  limita- 
tion, poverty  of  life. 

Jesus  expressed  this  in  the  familiar  words,  "Take  heed 
that  ye  do  not  your  righteousness  before  men,  to  be  seen  of 
them :  else  ye  have  no  reward  with  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven."  The  mistake  men  were  making  in  Jesus'  day  was 
in  seeking  the  praise  of  men  more  than  the  praise  of  God. 

49 


[IV-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

We  do  that  still.  But  many  of  those  to  whom  he  spoke  did 
it  in  a  very  foolish  way,  that  we  have  largely  outgrown.  We 
have  outgrown  it  just  because  this  teaching  of  Jesus  has  s;ink 
so  deep  in  popular  understanding  as  to  have  become  a  part 
of  our  moral  inheritance.  The  shame  of  hypocrisy,  and  the 
ridiculousness  of  it,  seem  to  us  perfectly  obvious — not  so 
to  Jesus'  audience  that  day,  or  to  any  audience  outside  of 
Christendom  even  now.  Those  men  saw  nothing  humorous 
in  a  man's  stopping  suddenly  on  a  street  corner,  where  he 
was  much  in  the  way,  throwing  his  praying  shawl  over  his 
shoulders,  and  engaging  earnestly  in  prayer.  To  us  it  would 
be  ludicrous  and  rather  disgusting  for  a  man  so  to  parade 
the  sacred  and  secret  devotion  of  his  soul.  But  to  them  it 
was  a  highly  edifying  and  agreeable  spectacle. 

So  it  is  today  all  over  Asia  and  Africa  where  Muhammad 
holds  sway — he  who  kneels  in  the  broad  sunlight  of  a  public 
square  and  prays  toward  Mecca  is  a  devout  child  of  the 
prophet,  and  much  to  be  commended.  We  simply  cannot 
conceive  the  mental  state  of  a  full-grown  man  who  carries 
a  prayer-wheel  with  him  about  his  work,  as  the  Tibetans  do, 
and  twirls  it  industriously  at  odd  moments,  that  he  may 
obtain  credit  both  of  heaven  and  of  his  neighbors  as  a  pious 
man.  The  Chinese  are  no  fools.  But  among  them  a  shing- 
shan-ti,  or  doer  of  virtue,  is  a  perfectly  familiar  and  highly 
esteemed  character.  Yet  his  virtue  is  largely  of  the  sort 
that,  for  instance,  buys  and  sets  free  captive  birds  in  large 
numbers,  said  birds  having  been  snared  and  caged — as  everj'-- 
one  knows — for  this  express  purpose. 

All  this  indicates  how  deeply  this  teaching  of  Jesus  has 
affected  Christendom.  His  scathing  satire  has  largely  done 
its  work.  We  understand  what  he  meant.  We  see  that  if  we 
do  our  righteousness  before  men  to  be  seen  of  them,  we  are 
somehow  like  men  building  on  the  sand — we  are  putting 
jerry  workmanship  into  our  characters.  The  trouble  is  that 
while  we  can  see  the  unreality  so  plainly  in  the  forms  in 
which  Jesus  pointed  it  out — the  naively  childlike  ways  of 
bland  hypocrisy — we  are  not  quick  to  detect  it  in  other 
forms  in  ourseives,  as  when  we,  who  claim  to  be  ardent 
seekers  after  truth,  find  ways  of  dodging  inconvenient  truths 
that  profoundly  invigorate  the  soul,  yet  are  not  susceptible 
of  scientific  demonstration. 

50 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUINENESS       [IV-c] 


III 

Plain  character-building  is  sometimes  likely  to  be  cold, 
barren  work.  Jesus  would  not  have  it  so.  Trudging,  like 
Weir  of  Hermiston,  "up  the  great  bare  staircase  of  duty"  is 
not  life  as  he  thought  of  it.  And  we  shall  do  well  to  linger 
a  moment  on  that  recurring  phrase  of  his,  "thy  Father  who 
seeth  in  secret  shall  recompense  thee."  Perhaps  none  of  us, 
in  our  day,  would  have  dared  to  say  this  quite  so  frankly ; 
nor  would  we  have  referred,  without  apology,  to  the  "reward 
with  our  Father  in  heaven."  We  seem  to  have  reached  a 
plane  of  delicate  sentiment  too  refined  to  speak  much  about 
rewards.  Following  that  medieval  saint  with  her  torch  and 
bucket — the  one  to  burn  up  heaven,  the  other  to  extinguish 
hell — we  have  maintained  that  men  should  be  righteous  with- 
out any  regard  to  rewards  and  punishments,  through  plain 
love  of  virtue. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  theory  is  a  trifle  chilly,  and 
not  quite  suited  to  the  needs  of  ordinary  men,  who  are 
wonderfully  moved  by  considerations  of  personal  welfare. 
Jesus  deals  with  this  half-sentimental  affectation  after  his 
own  fashion.  He  does  not  even  apologize  to  it,  he  ignores 
it  altogether.  He  knew  that  in  a  true  and  abounding  sense 
virtue  is  its  own  reward.  But  he  was  keenly  conscious  of 
the  fact  that,  under  the  moral  economy  of  his  Father's  house- 
hold, virtue  was  bound  up  inseparably  with  ever  fresh  privi- 
lege and  reward.  Every  thoughtful  man  knows  it  to  be  so, 
but  never  a  man  realized  this  so  keenly  as  did  Jesus.  He 
alone  knew  the  full  graciousness  of  his  Father's  love ;  he 
alone  knew  what  reviving  and  refreshing  joy  came  from 
Him  to  light  up  with  gladness  the  dull  way  of  duty. 

He  was  not  afraid  of  being  misunderstood  or  of  appealing 
to  mercenary  motives  in  speaking  of  the  fact  in  a  very  homely 
way,  almost  as  to  children,  speaking  plainly  of  the  reward 
that  the  Father's  love  brought  to  those  who  were  faithfully 
obedient  to  him.  Possibly  he  would  not  have  spoken  quite 
so  simply  to  our  more  sophisticated  minds,  but,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  here  is  what  he  said,  and  it  is  pleasant  and  comfort- 
ing to  think  of.  There  is  nothing  chilly  about  it.  It  is  the 
language  of  the  Elder  Brother  in  the  household  regarding 
the    Father's    treatment    of    the    children — that    the    Father, 

51 


LIV-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

though  quite  unobserved  by  us,  is  observant  of  his  house- 
hold, and  recompenses  with  the  surprises  of  his  kindness 
those  who  hve  in  patient  loyalty  to  him.  He  has  them  in 
mind,  he  gladdens  them  by  showing  that  he  has  not  forgotten. 
And  so  it  was  poor  business  for  God's  children  to  be  fish- 
ing for  compliments  from  men,  anglhig  for  their  applause, 
when  the  good  God  was  quick  to  see  and  keen  to  appreciate 
every  service  done  genuinely  unto  him.  It  was  a  very  homely 
way  to  speak,  and  some  in  our  day  may  feel  that  it  is  a 
little  below  their  level.  But  he  who  will  receive  it,  let  him 
receive  it !  He  will  take  endless  comfort  in  its  warmth  and 
graciousness ;  and  if  he  is  a  bit  tired  and  disheartened  in  the 
long  fight  for  character,  and  it  seems  a  little  barren  and 
colorless,  with  no  one  noticing  his  up-hill  efforts,  let  him 
remember  that  Jesus  said  repeatedly  that  the  Father  seeth 
in  secret  and  Himself  will  recompense  us.  Jesus  evidently 
believed  it,  in  as  matter-of-fact  a  way  as  he  believed  in  the 
scowling  presence  of  the  Pharisees.  We  shall  be  fortunate 
if  we  can  believe  it,  too,  and  person  with  person — God 
somewhere  in  secret  and  we  here  in  the  sunlight — live  sin- 
cerely unto  him. 

IV' 

Jesus'  idea  of  reality  in  the  Christian  left  no  place  for 
a  dull,  dispirited  compliance  with  unavoidable  duty.  That 
was  out  of  the  question  for  one  who  trusted  as  he  did  in 
his  Father's  good  will.  But  he  also  left  no  room  for  any  of 
his  followers  to  shuffle  along  after  him  in  the  cheerful  com- 
fort of  half-secrecy,  dodging  unfriendly  observation  and 
escaping  inconvenient  publicity.  He  asked  for  an  outright, 
conspicuous  loyalty,  answering  to  the  inward  spirit  of  genuine 
allegiance.  He  had  no  use  for  the  tentative  experimental 
attitude  of  one  who  was  not  quite  sure  whether  or  how  far 
discipleship  was  practicable,  but  was  willing  to  venture  a 
small  investment  that  he  could  afford  to  lose.  Honesty  to 
him  meant  outrightness ;  and  outrightness  radiates  help  for 
others. 

So  he  said  confidently  to  those  half-taught,  immature 
disciples,  "Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth,  ye  are  the  light 
of  the  world."  It  rather  takes  one's  breath  away  to  be 
thrust   into    the   lime-light   like   this.      The    friendly    shadows 

52 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUINENESS       [IV-cl 

would  be  a  good  deal  more  to  our  liking.  We  know  enough 
of  our  own  imperfections  to  feel  persuaded  that  this  is  get- 
ting on  too  fast.  We  are  not  worthy  of  such  honor.  Some- 
body else  must  be  slated  for  these  influential  positions  of 
trust — we  are  not  the  timber  for  preferment  such  as  that. 

But  Jesus'  meaning  was  unmistakable.  He  knew  what  he 
was  doing  and  held  to  his  policy  consistently  lu  the  end.  If 
any  man  were  genuinely  following  after  him  he  would  be  a 
savior  of  society.  If  anyone  truly  walked  in  the  light  of 
his  counsel,  he  would  be  a  light  for  others.  They  would 
see  him.  and  by  his  witness  and  example  would  find  the  way. 
There  have  been  innumerable  so-called  Christians  of  whom 
this  was  not  true,  who  were  worse  than  useless  for  the 
healing  or  leadership  of  society.  There  will  be  innumerable 
more.  But  it  is  not  for  one  of  us  to  be  among  them,  if  we 
would  be  the  sterling  article.  Jesus  merely  states  a  matter 
of  fact  when  he  says  that  the  hope  of  the  world  rests  on 
these  men  and  women  who  have  caught  his  spirit.  He  counts 
on  them  to  finish  what  he  began ;  he  counts  on  them  to 
sweeten  and  save  the  world.  If  we,  too,  are  living  in  an 
illusion  as  insincere  disciples,  we  also  may  help  to  plunge 
the  world  in  misery.  But  if  we  are  true  to  his  leadership, 
we  shall  inevitably  be  a  preserving  power  and  an  illumination 
for  those  in  the  dark. 

There  is  simply  no  denying  the  truth  of  this  principle. 
It  is  to  be  seen  written  in  staring  capitals  in  many  parts 
of  the  world  today — for  instance,  in  the  South  Seas.  Anyone 
who  has  read  Jack  London's  or  Mrs.  London's  diary  of  "The 
Voyage  of  the  Snark"  must  have  felt  the  aching  tragedy 
of  the  destruction  of  the  native  islanders  by  disease.  Wher- 
ever the  white  man  has  gone  much  among  them,  as  in  the 
Marquesas  group,  they  have  almost  quite  rotted  away  with 
tuberculosis  and  asthma  and  diseases  of  the  skin  and  blood, 
until  scarcely  any  able-bodied  men  remain.  Modern  civiliza- 
tion has  meant  to  them  quick  corruption  and  decay.  Jack 
London  has  no  special  fondness  for  the  missionary,  but  he, 
like  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  could  not  fail  to  notice  that 
where  the  disciples  of  Jesus  have  gone  they  have  been  a 
preserving  salt  for  those  ready  to  perish.  They  have  fought 
for  them  to  the  death  against  drunkenness  and  savagery  and 
licentiousness,   and   in   many   regions   have  kept  their  people 

53 


[IV-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

from  the  abyss.     It  is  not  so  picturesque,  but  it  means  life 
instead  of  death. 

In  every  city  of  England  and  America  one  finds  the  same 
two  forces  side  by  side.  And  in  ten  thousand  ways  that  are 
not  so  conspicuously  evident,  the  men  and  women  who 
genuinely  seek  to  do  the  great  Master's  will  are  holding 
civilization  together,  in  these  days  when  ruthlessness  has  been 
threatening  to  blast  it  into  ruin.  Love  is  the  conserving 
power — as  a  matter  of  the  most  commonplace  observation, 
as  of  a  laboratory  experiment  a  thousand  times  repeated. 
Love  redeems !  And  all  honest  approach  to  Jesus  brings 
one  into  touch  with  love.  Only  the  make-believe  Chris- 
tianity, the  formal  variety,  leaves  out  the  essential  love  and 
contents  itself  with  cheaper  substitutes  of  forms  and  pro- 
fessions and  ideals  that  do  not  operate.  But  the  real  rock- 
built  character  is  always  and  everywhere  concerned  with  the 
help  of  men. 


Jesus  insisted  not  only  that  genuine  religion  meant  love, 
but  that  it  meant  truth.  It  could  not  be  otherwise  in  his 
view,  because  men  lived  not  only  under  the  observation  of 
society  but  under  the  eye  of  God.  There  was  no  use  in 
fraud  or  evasion  or  hypocrisy  of  any  sort,  because  all  things 
were  naked  and  open  before  him  with  whom  we  have  to  do. 
And  as  men  were  with  God,  so  they  should  be  with  one 
another — not  only  truthful,  not  only  honest,  but  "splendidly 
candid"  in  their  sincerity. 

The  Church  has  often  been  at  a  dismal  remove  from  its 
Master  in  this  respect,  as  in  others.  And  yet  it  must  be 
plain,  to  all,  that,  as  Orientals  have  so  often  borne  witness, 
love  of  truth  is  a  Christian  virtue.  If  our  forefathers  hated 
a  lie,  it  was  because  they  had  drunk  deep  of  the  spirit  of  Him 
who  was  truth  incarnate,  and  from  all  sham  or  equivocation 
or  disingenuous  compromise  they  turned  away  with  fear  and 
loathing.  They  did  not  care  to  be  deceived,  however  pleasant 
the  deceit ;  they  would  rather  keep  their  faces  straight  set 
toward  reality,  however  grim  the  prospect.  No  doubt  they 
made  mistakes  abundantly,  but  they  would  not  consciously 
palter  with  the  truth.     They  could  not,  and  keep  undisturbed 

54 


THE  DEMAND  FOR  GENUINENESS      [IV-cl 

at  the  same  time  their  fellowship  with  the  God  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

It  is  worth  noting  this  fact  seriously,  because  of  its  bear- 
ing on  faith  in  Jesus'  message.  He  has  been  for  humanity, 
without  question,  a  very  fountain-head  of  truth.  Wherever 
his  influence  goes  today  it  challenges  falsehood  and  smites 
at  fraud  and  imposition.  To  him,  as  to  the  Old  Testament 
Jehovah,  an  unjust  weight  and  all  it  stood  for  were  an  abomi- 
nation. 

And  yet  a  popular  type  of  criticism  today  affirms  that  he 
is  the  center  of  the  world's  greatest  illusion ;  that  he  has 
entangled  humanity  for  two  thousand  years  in  a  network  of 
untruth  and  unreality;  that  he  was  himself  half  deluded  and 
half  deluding,  and  bequeathed  to  men — along  with  much 
good — a  heritage  of  mocking  shadows,  with  his  empty  talk 
of  a  Heavenly  Father  and  a  future  life.  One  shrinks  a  little 
from  admitting  it,  but  it  is  evident  enough  that  if  this  popular 
skepticism  is  right,  Jesus  was  the  active  center  of  an  aggre- 
gation of  untruths  so  colossal  that  the  imagination  can  hardly 
grasp  its  monstrousness.  The  ills  that  so  vast  a  system  of 
deceit  must  have  brought  on  humanity  are  past  computation, 
as  we  think  of  the  scores  of  generations  cradled  in  a  lie. 
It  is  Jesus  himself  who  has  thrust  upon  the  world  a  whole 
series  of  false  weights  and  measures  in  the  precious  values 
of  the  soul. 

As  over  against  this  contention  of  so  many  learned  scholars 
in  our  day,  we  have  to  set  the  indisputable  fact  that  Jesus 
has  been  the  world's  inspiration  to  a  splendid  candor  in 
the  search  for  truth.  If  Livingstone  in  the  African  forest 
felt  him  to  be  true  as  a  sword-blade,  the  confidence  made 
Livingstone  himself  of  a  knightly  honor  in  keeping  faith 
with  his  black  carriers  who  followed  him  to  the  western 
ocean.  One  simply  cannot  build  character  on  Jesus'  lines 
and  tolerate  any  cheap  advantages  of  deceit,  whether  self- 
deceit  or  the  deceit  of  others.  And  since  a  fountain  cannot 
send  forth  both  sweet  water  and  bitter,  we  who  have  felt 
Jesus'  leadership,  and  heard  his  ringing  challenge  to  fearless 
righteousness,  must  count  him  also  true  and  dependable 
altogether. 


55 


CHAPTER   V 

Be  Ye  Merciful 

DAILY  READINGS 

Never  was  the  world  so  hungry  for  mercy  as  today.  With 
fascinated  gaze  it  has  been  watching  year  after  year  the  work- 
ing out  of  the  opposite  of  mercy,  the  ruthless  will  to  power. 
And  it  has  come  to  the  point  where  men  are  forced  to  see 
that  along  the  line  of  the  most  scientific  organization  for 
efficiency,  apart  from  the  divine  quality  of  kindness  of  heart, 
there  is  no  hope  for  society.  We  should  not  have  been 
agreed  on  this  point  a  few  years  ago.  Jesus'  program  for 
the  enlargement  of  human  life  through  kindness  seemed 
then  a  trifle  naive  in  its  childlike  impracticability.  But  today 
we  have  looked  into  the  abyss  of  a  merciless  self-will  and 
have  sickened  with  the  fear  that  it  might  be  deep  enough 
to  engulf  all  Christendom  in  chaos.  And  the  far-off  call  out 
of  a  distant  past  to  be  merciful  to  one  another,  because  our 
Father  is  merciful  to  us  all,  has  suddenly  broken  in  upon 
the  twentieth  century,  loud  and  compelling,  like  a  trumpet- 
call  close  at  hand. 

Never  before  were  great  nations  so  ready  to  listen  to  Jesus' 
message  at  this  point.  Kindness  is  a  very  humble  virtue. 
A  washerwoman  or  a  bootblack  might  achieve  it  as  well 
as  a  statesman  or  a  captain  of  industry.  Yet  he  made  it 
the  seal  of  the  divine  in  human  character.  There  was  no 
such  thing  as  noble  character  without  it.  One  might  be  a 
genius  in  war  or  letters,  but  to  be  unmerciful  was  to  be  unlike 
God,  and  in  the  end  to  be  brought  to  shame.  The  Most 
High  is  love.  If  we  are  indeed  his  children  we  shall  be 
tenderhearted  of  necessity. 

Our  study  for  this  week  deals  with  this  fundamental 
element  in  great  character. 

56 


BE    YE   MERCIFUL  [V-i] 

Fifth  Week,  First  Day 

And  if  ye  love  them  that  love  you,  what  thank  have 
ye?  for  even  sinners  love  those  that  love  them.  And  if 
ye  do  good  to  them  that  do  good  to  you,  what  thank 
have  ye?  for  even  sinners  do  the  same.  And  if  ye  lend 
to  them  of  whom  ye  hope  to  receive,  what  thank  have 
ye?  even  sinners  lend  to  sinners,  to  receive  again  as  much. 
But  love  your  enemies,  and  do  them  good,  and  lend, 
never  despairing;  and  your  reward  shall  be  great,  and  ye 
shall  be  sons  of  the  Most  High:  for  he  is  kind  toward 
the  unthankful  and  evil.  Be  ye  merciful,  even  as  your 
Father  is  merciful. — Luke  6:32-36. 

"As  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  my  ways 
higher  than  your  ways,  and  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts." 
The  words  of  Jesus  about  love  of  one's  enemies  are  in  illus- 
tration of  this  ancient  utterance.  They  bid  us  to  be  like 
God ;  and  we  say  it  is  impracticable,  impossible.  They  may 
be  most  difficult  as  a  command,  but  they  are  most  comforting 
as  a  revelation  of  what  God  is  like.  However  ill-tempered 
or  unforgiving  we  may  be  by  nature,  it  is  good  to  know 
that  our  Father  is  not  like  us,  but  that  his  mercy  utterly 
outruns  our  comprehension.  And  Jesus,  knowing  his  Father 
as  he  did,  could  do  nothing  else  than  put  kindness  at  the 
center  of  great  character — because  only  so  could  the  Son 
be  like  his  Father.  We  may  stagger  at  the  necessity,  but  it 
is  plainly  a  necessity  if  we  are  to  be  his  followers. 

Without  trying  now  to  determine  how  far  this  command 
m.ay  reach  at  the  farthest,  let  us  recognize  and  accept  what 
is  beyond  question — its  homely  application  to  common  life. 
Probably  most  of  us  have  no  enemies  worth  calling  such. 
The  nearest  approach  to  it  are  the  people  who,  we  think, 
don't  do  us  justice,  who  don't  like  us,  or  have  misunderstood 
us,  or  spoken  or  thought  ill  of  us.  They  may  even  have 
done  us  an  ill  turn.  We  retaliate  by  thinking  hardly  of  them. 
Jesus  calls  us  to  a  nobler  mind — to  treat  them  with  good 
will,  to  seek  their  good  instead  of  their  humiliation,  and  to 
win  them  as  God  wins  men,  by  love. 

O  Lord!  shed  a  new  light  on  my  relations  with  the  people 
I  do  not  like.  Open  my  eyes  to  zvhatever  is  mean,  or  un- 
generous, or  unkind  in  my  attitude,  and  give  me  a  clearer 
vision  of  what  thy  love  would  have  me  be. 

57 


lV-2]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 


Fifth  Week,  Second  Day 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and 
a  tooth  for  a  tooth:  but  I  say  unto  you.  Resist  not  him 
that  is  evil:  but  whosoever  smiteth  thee  on  thy  right 
cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if  any  man  would 
go  to  law  with  thee,  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have 
thy  cloak  also.  And  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go 
one  mile,  go  with  him  two.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee, 
and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou 
away. — Matt.  5 :  38-42. 

Let  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor, 
and  railing,  be  put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice:  and 
be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  tenderhearted,  forgiving  each 
other,  even  as  God  also  in  Christ  forgave  you. — Eph. 
4:31,  32. 

What  ordinary  human  nature  wants  in  a  quarrel .  is  plain 
enough — it  wants  to  give  as  good  as  it  gets.  In  old  times 
it  wanted  to  give  a  good  deal  better ;  and  a  great  ethical 
advance  was  achieved  when  Moses  held  his  people  down  to 
an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.  There  was  a  rude 
justice  about  this  that  seemed  fairly  satisfactory.  But  Jesus 
made  it  plain  that  this  was  not  God's  way.  It  is  not  even 
the  way  of  our  own  fathers  and  mothers.  Imagine  a  mother 
trying  to  "get  even"  with  her  children  every  time  they  dis- 
obeyed her  or  gave  her  pain !  How  intolerable  home 
would  be! 

And  so  would  our  world  be  if  God  were  to  treat  us  in  that 
fashion.  But  "he  delighteth  in  mercy."  He  wins  us  to  him 
by  kindness  that  astonishes  us.  Jesus  says,  "One  is  your 
Father,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  And  from  this  he  draws 
the  inevitable  conclusion  that  we  must  treat  each  other  as 
God  treats  us — not  retaliating  with  spitefulness  for  spiteful- 
ness  and  ill  will  for  ill  will,  going  through  life  standing 
stiffly  on  our  rights,  looking  out  sharply  for  slights  and 
injuries,  always  ready  for  a  quarrel;  but  generous  and  for- 
giving, winning  our  enemies  by  a  good  will  that  refuses  to 
be  defeated. 

O  God,  give  inc  such  a  sense  of  thy  lovingkindncss  to  me 
personally  as  shall  make  it  impossible  for  me  to  be  harsh  or 
ungenerous  to  any  of  thy  children. 

S8 


BE    YE   MERCIFUL  [V-3] 

Fifth  Week,  Third  Day 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by  from  thence,  he  saw  a  man^ 
called  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  place  of  toll:  and  he  saith 
unto  him,  Follow  me.    And  he  arose,  and  followed  him. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at  meat  in  the  house, 
behold,  many  publicans  and  sinners  came  and  sat  down 
with  Jesus  and  his  disciples.  And  when  the^  Pharisees 
saw  it,  they  said  unto  his  disciples,  Why  eateth  your 
Teacher  with  the  publicans  and  sinners?  But  when  he 
heard  it,  he  said,  They  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of 
a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick.  But  go  ye  and  learn 
what  this  meaneth,  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice:  for 
I  came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners. — Matt. 
9:9-13- 

There  was  a  brief  sentence  in  the  Greek  version  of  the 
Old  Testament  that  had  captured  Jesus'  thought  years  before, 
and  on  which  he  had  evidently  thought  much.  He  quotes  it 
repeatedly  in  defense  of  his  own  actions,  "I  will  have  mercy, 
and  not  sacrifice."  It  is  a  revelation  of  what  God  is  like, 
and  of  what  he  wants  of  men  if  they  are  to  please  him — 
not  the  stately  worship  of  temple  or  cathedral,  not  even  the 
sacrifice  of  the  mass  or  the  chanted  creed  of  the  true  faith, 
but  pity  for  the  distressed,  help  for  the  weak,  healing  for 
the  sick,  loving  sympathy  for  the  unclean. 

It  is  easy  at  this  distance  to  think  of  Jesus  in  a  sentimental 
way  as  the  friend  of  sinners ;  but  at  the  time,  when  there  was 
no  halo  about  his  head  or  glamor  about  his  person,  his 
actions  must  have  been  a  sore  trial  to  one  of  such  sensitive 
tastes.  Certainly  he  found  nothing  congenial  in  the  coarse- 
ness and  vulgarity  of  that  irreligious  crowd  of  social  out- 
casts. He  chose  their  company  by  sheer  compulsion  of 
sympathy.  He  understood  them  and  the  struggle  of  the 
divine  in  them  for  life,  and  he  gave  himself  to  them  as  God 
has  given  himself  to  us.  It  is  glad  tidings  in  itself.  It 
makes  our  coldly  selfish  world  a  different  place  to  live  in. 
But  it  constitutes  a  law  for  our  lives  if  we  would  be  his 
followers. 

So  great  an  achievement  in  character  will  not  come  of 
itself  while  we  are  busy  with  our  ozvn  concerns.  It  will 
demand  time  and  attention  for  the  study  of  the  needs  and 
claims  of  people  beyond  our  social  horizon. 

59 


lV-4]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

Fifth  Week,  Fourth  Day 

And  he  departed  thence,  and  went  into  their  synagogue 
and  behold,  a  man  having  a  withered  hand.  And  they 
asked  him,  saying.  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath 
day?  that  they  might  accuse  him.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  What  man  shall  there  be  of  you,  that  shall  have 
one  sheep,  and  if  this  fall  into  a  pit  on  the  sabbath  day, 
will  he  not  lay  hold  on  it,  and  lift  it  out?  How  much 
then  is  a  man  of  more  value  than  a  sheep!  Wherefore 
it  is  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  sabbath  day.  Then  saith 
he  to  the  man,  Stretch  forth  thy  hand.  And  he  stretched 
it  forth;  and  it  was  restored  whole,  as  the  other.  But 
the  Pharisees  went  out,  and  took  counsel  against  him, 
how  they  might  destroy  him. — Matt.  12:9-14. 

Those  scribes  and  Pharisees  were  not  consciously  in  the 
wrong  that  morning.  They  thought  they  had  the  right  per- 
spective of  values.  Some  things  were  unspeakably  precious 
to  them  as  safeguards  of  their  national  religion,  especially 
the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath.  The  man  with  the  deformed 
hand,  on  the  contrary,  was  of  no  account  to  them — they  may 
have  seen  him  every  day  for  years  and  never  even  given  a 
thought  to  his  deformity. 

Jesus,  on  the  other  hand,  was  frankly  sorry  for  the  man. 
He  thought  what  it  would  mean  to  him  to  be  set  free  and 
made  once  more  the  breadwinner,  instead  of  the  burden  of 
his  family.  He  saw  well  enough  that  the  sanctity  of  the 
Sabbath  would  not  suffer  from  such  a  deed  of  pity.  So  he 
healed  the  man,  even  though  by  doing  so  he  imperiled  his 
own  life. 

There  we  see  what  a  really  noble  character  is  like.  It 
is  so  much  like  God  that  it  notices  other  people's  distresses 
and  makes  an  effort  to  relieve  them,  even  at  the  cost  of 
trouble  to  itself.  Their  troubles  it  makes  its  own  concern. 
Numberless  people  in  the  eighteenth  century  bemoaned  the 
sufferings  of  the  prisoners ;  but  only  John  Howard  was 
great  enough  to  make  their  wretchedness  his  own  affair  and 
give  his  life  for  their  relief. 

Mercy  such  as  this  is  divine,  no  matter  zvhere  zve  see  it. 
If  zve  might  spend  our  lives  in  some  such  service  it  zvould 
be  a  career  of  high  distinction. 

•  60 


BE    YE   MERCIFUL  [V-5] 

Fifth  Week,  Fifth  Day 

After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye:  Our  Father  who 
art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom 
come.  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earth.  Give 
us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  us  our  debts, 
as  we  also  have  forgiven  our  debtors.  And  bring  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  the  evil  one.  For 
if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  heavenly  Father 
will  also  forgive  you.  But  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their 
trespasses,  neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your  tres- 
passes,— Matt.  6:9-15. 

And  whensoever  ye  stand  praying,  forgive,  if  ye  have 
aught  against  any  one;  that  your  Father  also  who  is  in 
heaven  may  forgive  you  your  trespasses. — Mark  11:25. 

We  are  all  ready  enough  to  admit  that  dishonesty  or  dissi- 
pation are  enemies  to  good  character;  the  penalty  for  such 
weaknesses  is  only  too  certain.  We  are  not  so  quick  to  see 
what  a  perilous  thing  it  is  to  bear  a  grudge,  to  have  an  un- 
forgiving temper.  Apparently  in  Jesus'  mind  it  was  more  to 
be  feared  than  the  open  loss  of  respectability  incurred  by 
some  sin  of  indulgence.  It  was  the  one  common  sin  of  which 
he  said  that  it  shut  one  out  from  the  mercy  of  God.  We  can, 
of  course,  differ  with  him,  and  count  this  a  mere  eccentricity 
of  judgment  on  his  part.  But  if  he  was  right,  then  a  good 
many  so-called  Christians  are  gravely  wrong.  Some  even 
take  pride  in  the  fact  that  they  are  good  friends  but  bad 
enemies — that  they  have  a  long  memory  for  an  injury.  And 
a  good  many  more,  while  not  going  as  far  as  this,  allow  a 
hard  word  or  a  mean  action  from  another  to  settle  down  into 
their  lives  like  a  drop  of  poison  in  a  spring,  embittering  their 
thoughts  and  cankering  for  the  time  being  their  outlook  upon 
life.  Jesus  was  severe  in  his  condemnation  of  this  harsh- 
ness. And  even  in  the  brief  prayer  that  he  taught  his  disciples 
he  committed  them  to  an  inexhaustible  readiness  to  forgive. 

Every  time  we  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer  we  say,  Lord, 
treat  me  as  I  treat  those  who  have  offended  me. 

Fifth  Week,  Sixth  Day 

Then  came  Peter  and  said  to  him,  Lord,  how  oft  shall 
my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him?  until 
seven  times?    Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee, 

61 


[V-6]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

Until  seven  times;  but,  Until  seventy  times  seven.  There- 
fore is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  a  certain 
king,  who  would  make  a  reckoning  with  his  servants. 
And  when  he  had  begun  to  reckon,  one  was  brought  unto 
him,  that  owed  him  ten  thousand  talents.  But  forasmuch 
as  he  had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  his  lord  commanded 
him  to  be  sold,  and  his  wife,  and  children,  and  all  that 
he  had,  and  payment  to  be  made.  The  servant  therefore 
fell  down  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  have  patience 
with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all.  And  the  lord  of  that 
servant,  being  moved  with  compassion,  released  him,  and 
forgave  him  the  debt.  But  that  servant  went  out,  and 
found  one  of  his  fellow-servants,  who  owed  him  a  hundred 
shillings:  and  he  laid  hold  on  him,  and  took  him  by  the 
throat,  saying.  Pay  what  thou  owest.  So  his  fellow- 
servant  fell  down  and  besought  him,  saying.  Have 
patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee.  And  he  would 
not:  but  went  and  cast  him  into  prison,  till  he  should 
pay  that  which  was  due.  So  when  his  fellow-servants 
saw  what  was  done,  they  were  exceeding  sorry,  and  came 
and  told  unto  their  lord  all  that  was  done.  Then  his 
lord  called  him  unto  him,  and  saith  to  him,  Thou  wicked 
servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou  be- 
soughtest  me:  shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had  mercy 
on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  mercy  on  thee?  And 
his  lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors, 
till  he  should  pay  all  that  was  due.  So  shall  also  my 
heavenly  Father  do  unto  you,  if  ye  forgive  not  every  one 
his  brother  from  your  hearts. — Matt.  18:21-35. 

"Shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had  mercy  on  thy  fellow- 
servant  even  as  I  had  mercy  on  thee?"  That  is  the  principle 
that  underlies  all  Jesus'  demands  for  kindness  among  his 
disciples.  It  is  not  an  unconditioned  ethical  demand  for 
benevolence  in  social  relations.  It  is  bound  up  with  his 
Gospel  of  God's  love.  John  put  it  in  another  form  when 
he  said,  "If  God  so  loved  us,  we  also  ought  to  love  one 
another."  If  we  are  to  have  Christian  character  worthy 
of  the  name,  it  will  be  character  in  which  the  experience  of 
our  Father's  forgiveness  has  a  large  place,  and  in  such 
character  harsh  treatment  of  those  who  have  offended  us 
would  be  an  enormity.  By  the  time  any  of  us  are  fifty,  if  we 
think  only  of  the  record  of  other  lives  that  are  the  poorer 
for  our  unfaithfulness  or  indifference  on  innumerable  occa- 

62 


BE   YE  MERCIFUL  [V-7] 

sions  when  we  might  have  helped — a  pitiful  record  of  losses 
we  can  never  overtake  or  cancel — we  shall  be  sensible  of 
the  need  of  merciful  forgiveness  from  God.  And  for  us, 
who  live  in  hope  only  because  of  our  Father's  goodness,  to 
demand  the  last  farthing  of  our  rights  from  our  neighbor, 
is  unthinkable.  The  very  suggestion  of  it  roused  the  indigna- 
tion of  Jesus. 

The  gentleness  of  spirit  that  marks  the  noblest  character 
and  that  always  has  been  called  par  excellence  the  "Christian 
spirit"  is  rooted  far  down  out  of  sight  in  the  eternal  fact 
of  God's  love. 

Fifth  Week,  Seventh  Day 

And  v^^hen  they  came  unto  the  place  which  is  called 
The  skull,  there  they  crucified  him,  and  the  malefactors, 
one  on  the  right  hand  and  the  other  on  the  left.  And 
Jesus  said.  Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do.  And  parting  his  garments  among  them,  they 
cast  lots.  And  the  people  stood  beholding.  And  the 
rulers  also  scoffed  at  him,  saying.  He  saved  others;  let 
him  save  himself,  if  this  is  the  Christ  of  God,  his  chosen. 
And  the  soldiers  also  mocked  him,  coming  to  him,  offer- 
ing him  vinegar,  and  saying.  If  thou  art  the  King  of  the 
Jews,  save  thyself. — Luke  23:33-37. 

And  they  stoned  Stephen,  calling  upon  the  Lord,  and 
saying.  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.  And  he  kneeled 
down,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lord,  lay  not  this 
sin  to  their  charge.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  fell 
asleep. — Acts  7:59,  60. 

No  words  could  so  reenforce  Jesus'  insistence  on  forgiveness 
of  injuries  as  does  this  brief  ejaculation  out  of  a  tempest 
of  pain  just  before  his  death.  The  Roman  soldiers  were 
used  to  seeing  men,  in  the  sudden  onset  of  physical  agony 
as  they  were  being  nailed  to  the  cross,  burst  out  upon  them 
with  delirious  oaths  and  cursing,  gnashing  upon  them  like 
mad  dogs  in  rage.  We  stand  in  awe  at  the  grandeur  of 
Jesus'  spirit,  that  at  that  moment  of  supreme  suffering  he 
was  not  swept  out  of  his  self-control  by  pain,  but  was  actually 
thinking  of  those  poor  callous  wretches  who  tortured  him. 
He  was  so  far  master  of  himself  that  the  ruling  spirit  of 
forgiveness,    strong    in    death,    rose    triumphantly    over    all 

(>3 


[V-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

other  feelings.  It  is  beyond  us.  We  see  again  what  God 
is  like.    It  is  a  super-victory  over  human  nature. 

But  it  reminds  us  that  the  divinest  thing  in  us  is  not  that 
which  cries  out  for  vengeance  on  those  who  have  done  us 
wrong.  As  Edith  Cavell  said,  a  few  hours  before  she  was 
led  out  to  be  shot,  with  the  clear  vision  of  one  standing  on 
the  edge  of  eternity,  "I  realize  that  patriotism  is  not  enough. 
I  must  have  no  hatred  nor  bitterness  toward  anyone."  We 
recognize  in  that  utterance  the  very  spirit  of  Jesus. 

In  the  presence  of  death,  forgiveness  seems  a  necessary 
thing.    Jesus  calls  for  it  in  the  heyday  of  vigorous  life. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

I 

The  motif  of  all  the  passages  for  this  week  is  found  in 
the  word  of  Jesus,  "Ye  shall  be  sons  of  the  Most  High." 
He  brings  the  sanction  of  a  divine  heredity  to  reenforce  the 
plain  ethical  demand  for  human  kindness.  Noblesse  oblige. 
"You  are  of  the  nobility;  live  nobly,  then,  with  your  fellows." 
We  can  make  little  headway  in  the  understanding  of  his 
argument  save  as  we  share  his  confidence  in  the  lovingkind- 
ness  of  our  Father,  a  lovingkindness  that  reacheth  unto  the 
heavens.  If  we  are  to  measure  ourselves  and  our  obligations 
by  anything  less  than  this — as  by  social  expediency  or  a 
humanitarian  idealism — we  shall  fall  a  good  deal  short  of 
sympathy  with  him  who  spoke  as  the  Elder  Brother  of  the 
great  family,  strong  in  the  assurance  of  an  eternal  power 
of  love  binding  the  family  together.  Like  a  wireless  instru- 
ment not  attuned  to  the  vibrations  of  the  sender,  we  shall  be 
unable  to  catch  his  spirit  if  we  have  no  personal  experience 
of  our  Father's  infinite  mercy  and  forgiveness. 

Everyone  today  must  be  conscious  of  a  grave  danger  of 
unreality  in  discussing  these  sayings  of  our  Lord,  because 
we  have  known  what  it  is  to  be  swept  away  from  our  ordinary 
moorings  by  the  strong  passions  of  the  War.  Whatever 
measure  of  assent  we  might  have  been  able  to  accord  them 
in  days  of  peace,  we  realize  that  new  and  strange  forces  have 
been  at  work  upon  us  to  make  us  either  disregard  their  appli- 
cation  to    our   enemies,   or   else   profess   them   with   a   half- 

64 


BE    YE   MERCIFUL  [V-c] 

heartedness  or  insincerity  that  endangers  our  whole  loyalty 
to  Jesus'  leadership. 

It  is  of  no  use  to  try  to  evade  the  problem  here  presented. 
We  must  have  sincerity  at  any  cost.  Even  if  we  were 
obliged  squarely  to  differ  with  Jesus  at  this  point,  it  would 
be  better  to  be  honest  in  our  demand  for  truth  than  to  part 
cqmpany  with  reality  in  our  profession  of  obedience.  He 
unquestionably  warns  men  against  anger,  evil-speaking,  and 
the  use  of  force.  And  yet  we  have  found  ourselves  involved, 
with  all  Christendom,  in  a  war  to  the  death,  with  all  the 
merciless  horror  that  that  implies.  Are  we  just  so  far  untrue 
to  him?  Some  earnest  voices  about  us,  mostly  silenced  in 
actual  war-time,  say  emphatically  yes.  Jesus  refused  to  use 
or  countenance  force.  We  cannot  be  his  disciples,  they  say, 
and  approve  of  war.  The  inconsistency  of  it  is  not  only 
manifest  but  glaringly  grotesque.  What  answer  can  be  made 
that  will  satisfy  our  own  misgivings? 

II 

In  our  study  of  these  passages  it  is  only  reasonable  to 
inquire  first  as  to  the  field  of  their  undisputed  application. 
It  has  always  been  recognized  that  there  must  needs  be  a 
considerable  borderland  for  possible  casuistry  as  regards; 
perplexing  or  exceptional  situations.  But  the  main  field  is 
perfectly  clear  and  well-defined,  and  we  have  no  excuse  for 
not  reaching  assured  conclusions.  Jesus  is  plainly  speaking 
of  the  ordinary  personal  intercourse  of  man  with  man  and 
neighbor  with  neighbor. 

He  declares  first  of  all  that,  in  order  to  be  his  disciple, 
one  imder  provocation  must  not  only  refrain  from  violence 
to  his  brother — keeping  the  ancient  command  to  do  no  murder 
— but  must  hold  to  his  attitude  of  fundamental  good  will. 
To  give  rein  to  passion  and  pour  out  in  language  all  the 
hatred  and  ill  will  that  would  use  violence  if  it  dared,  is 
to  be  false  to  the  brotherly  spirit  of  the  new  kingdom  and 
to  betray  the  presence  of  a  heart  defiant  of  God's  command. 
Wrangling  and  quarreling  will  spoil  the  life  of  a  disciple 
of  Jesus  as  effectually  as  assault  and  murder,  and  words 
of  cold  bitterness  will  slay  a  loving  temper  like  a  sword-thrust. 
It  is  perfectly  obvious  what  our  Lord  was  trying  to  enforce, 

65 


[V-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

and  if  we  accept  his  faith  in  a  true  Fatherhood  and  brother- 
hood for  men  we  cannot  withhold  our  assent.  It  forbids  all 
rancor  and  hatred  in  our  social  relations,  even  at  the  cost  of 
stern  self-control  under  acute  exasperation.  Even  if  we  have 
suffered  heavy  injury,  the  attempt  to  take  it  out  in  violent 
language  or  personal  abuse  of  our  assailant  merely  reacts 
upon  the  peace  and  health  of  our  own  soul. 

The  teaching  is  at  all  times  far  from  easy  to  obey,  and  we 
may  poorly  attain  to  it.  But  it  is  at  least  intelligible  and 
reasonable,  and  if  we  propose  to  be  followers  of  Jesus  we 
shall  be  sincerely  honest  in  our  effort  to  reach  it.  But  with 
war,  elements  utterly  new  enter  into  the  situation.  What 
is  plain  enough  in  the  ordinary  relations  of  life  becomes  a 
hopeless  enigma  when  we  face  the  ruthless  enemies  of  a 
world  peace.  Are  we  to  pretend  to  use  toward  them  the 
language  of  brotherly  love? 

Certainly  a  different  principle  is  here  involved.  Jesus  was 
speaking  about  personal  rancor.  It  is  clear  that  he  was  not 
thinking  about  judicial  condemnation  of  evil,  or  moral  in- 
dignation at  the  wrongs  of  others.  We  cannot  imagine  him 
angrily  reviling  a  personal  adversary ;  but  neither  can  we 
imagine  anyone  speaking  with  more  piercing  severity  than 
did  he  when  he  said  to  his  friend,  "Get  thee  behind  me, 
Satan,"  or  called  the  Pharisees  a  generation  of  vipers  and 
children  of  hell.  Often  he  spoke  out  the  truth  when  the 
truth  cut  like  a  knife  and  infuriated  his  hearers.  No  man 
ever  shrank  less  from  hurting  people's  feelings,  when  it  was 
for  their  good  that  they  should  be  hurt,  or  when  it  was  for 
the  benefit  of  others  that  the  truth  should  be  frankly,  ex- 
posed. Nor  would  he  ask  men  to  veil  the  truth  behind  an 
affectation  of  pious  unwillingness  to  condemn.  There  are 
times  of  peril,  when  the  common  welfare  demands  the  ex- 
posure of  flagrant  wrong  in  words  that  scorch  like  a  flame, 
and  a  steady  witness  against  it,  while  the  peril  lasts,  in  the 
merciless  sternness  of  white-hot  moral  indignation.  Even 
such  language  may  spring  from  a  root  of  love,  and  be  not 
inconsistent  with  the  good  will  of  which  Jesus  spoke. 

Ill 

We  come  now  from  words  to  deeds.  Jesus  unquestionably 
forbade  the  use  of  force  in  our  ordinary  personal  relations. 

66 


BE    YE   MERCIFUL  [V-c] 

It  is  not  by  blows  that  our  wrongs  are  to  be  set  right.  Plainly 
there  is  a  better  wisdom,  and  love  is  the  weapon  by  which 
his  disciples  were  to  win  their  way  through  life.  Still  more 
evident  is  it  that  Jesus  himself  did  not  use  force.  He  was 
led  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  lamb  before  her 
shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth.  His  whole 
career  was  one  which  discouraged  the  use  of  violence.  And 
we  of  today  have  seen  good  men  leaving  their  pulpits  because 
they,  remembering  how  Jesus  refused  to  m.ake  use  of  force 
in  the  righting  of  wrong,  could  not  conscientiously  approve 
the  appeal  to  war.  Did  they  rightly  appraise  his  teaching, 
and  are  those  who  take  part  in  such  a  world  struggle  untrue 
to  his  example? 

It  is  to  be  firmly  insisted  on  that  in  all  these  sayings  Jesus 
is  neither  thinking  nor  speaking  of  the  judicial  or  civic 
processes  that  may  be  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  social 
order — any  more  than  he  meant  to  do  away  with  courts  and 
judges  when  he  said,  "Judge  not  that  ye  be  not  judged."  The 
words  plainly  apply  to  personal  relationships,  and  are  mis- 
understood and  misapplied  when  applied  to  social  institu- 
tions. Jesus  lived  with  his  mother  and  sisters  in  the  little 
village  of  Nazareth  in  perfect  security,  because  the  strong 
arm  of  the  Roman  government  was  interposed  between  them 
and  the  marauding  tribes  of  the  desert  to  the  East.  It  is 
absurd  to  suppose  that  when  he  said,  "Resist  not  evil"  he 
meant  that  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  should  be  withdrawn, 
and  the  common  people  of  Galilee  be  exposed  to  the  ravages 
of  pillaging  invaders.  He  recognized  the  need  and  the 
beneficence  of  a  civil  government's  using  force. 

Moreover,  it  is  to  be  kept  clearly  in  mind  that  while  Jesus' 
refusal  to  use  force  was  necessary  to  the  carrying  out  of  his 
own  function  in  the  world,  it  by  no  means  implies  that  a 
different  function  would  not  demand  a  different  method.  As 
he  said  himself,  "I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save 
the  world";  "there  is  one  that  judgeth."  It  was  not  his 
function  either  to  pronounce  or  to  execute  judgment.  But 
it  was  someone's  function!  He  left  men  in  no  doubt  as  to 
that.  He  himself  wept  over  guilty  Jerusalem.  But  he  plainly 
warned  her  that,  in  the  righteous  plan  of  God,  her  day  of 
retribution  was  close  at  hand.  Once  the  impetuosity  of  his 
indignation   almost  led   him   to   overstep   his    function,   when 


[V-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

he  took  upon  himself  the  neglected  duty  of  the  police  and 
drove  out  bodily  from  the  temple  those  who  trespassed  on 
the  people's  rights.  Suppose  he  had  been  the  one  legitimately 
responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  those  rights,  instead  of 
one  quite  without  authority  in  the  premises.  Would  he  have 
suffered  the  wrong  in  passive  forbearance? 

We  remember  his  terrible  denunciation  of  the  men  who 
devoured  widows'  houses,  in  words  that  must  have  burned 
like  corrosive  acid.  Suppose  that  instead  of  being  the  Great 
Teacher  and  Good  Physician  he  had  been  the  District  Attor- 
ney for  Jerusalem,  charged  with  the  rooting  out  of  all  that 
gang  of  grafters,  both  respectable  and  vicious,  who  preyed 
on  the  weak  and  friendless.  Suppose  that  tl^e  protection  of 
the  rights  of  the  poor  against  the  aggressions  of  the  powerful 
rested  directly  upon  him.  It  would  have  been  a  goodly  and 
a  godly  work,  but  it  would  have  led  him  through  some 
strange  scenes  of  violence  if  those  Jewish  plunderers  had  been 
as  truculent  as  are  the  human  sharks  who  prey,  on  the  bodies 
and  souls  of  men  in  our  cities  today.  Jesus  never  challenged, 
directly  or  indirectly,  the  necessity  for  this  function  of  the 
State  or  of  its  servants,  for  the  guarding  of  the  people  in 
quiet  security  from  the  cruel  enemies  who  lay  in  wait  for 
them  like  wolves.  We  believe  he  would  have  aided  it  in 
every  way  in  his  power.  He  would  have  rendered  to  Caesar 
the  things  that  are  Caesar's. 

This  undoubted  function  of  government  ordinarily  involves 
only  the  small  circle  of  those  officially  appointed  to  protect 
the  public  and  maintain  order.  The  mass  of  the  people  are 
left  free  to  pursue  their  several  ways  in  safety.  Indeed,  for 
them  to  use  violence  in  the  maintenance  of  their  rights — to 
take  the  law  in  their  own  hands — is  not  only  to  disobey  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  but  to  be  guilty  of  a  criminal  offense.  But 
occasionally,  as  in  these  past  two  years,  the  safety  of  the 
people  may  be  so  imperiled,  their  fundamental  rights,  under 
which  alone  a  life  of  peace  and  happiness  is  possible,  may  be 
so  invaded,  that  the  State  calls  for  the  help  of  every  able- 
bodied  citizen;  not  only  of  the  little  circle  of  official  guardians 
of  the  peace,  but  of  millions,  who  are  thus  suddenly  sum- 
moned from  a  life  of  peace  to  share  the  burden  of  stern  war 
— to  take  up  this  divinely  ordained  function  of  maintaining 
justice  and  judgment  and  upholding  the  public  righteousness, 

68. 


BE  YE  MERCIFUL  [V-c] 

without  which  the  joy  of  the  common  people  is  turned  to 
distress  and  even  nations  are  brought  to  destruction. 

Would  Jesus  counsel  these  citizens  to  defy  the  State's 
beneficent  authority,  to  refuse  the  summons,  and  let  the  wolf- 
pack  ravage  as  it  will?  Does  love  of  one's  neighbor  demand 
that  we  should  turn  our  backs  when  ravening  outrage  and 
cruelty  have  broken  loose  upon  those  we  are  able  to  defend? 
Does  the  spirit  of  good  will  and  pity  demand  that  we  should 
stop  our  ears  and  pass  by  on  the  other  side  when  the  man 
on  the  Jericho  road  is  at  his  last  gasp  under  the  robbers' 
hands?  It  is  impossible  for  us  so  to  construe  the  teaching 
or  the  example  of  our  Lord.  As  a  matter  of  human  experi- 
ence, love  does  not  so  interpret  its  duty.  If  we  as  indi- 
viduals are  authoritatively  called  against  our  wills  to  be  the 
defenders  of  another's  peace,  when  that  peace  is  threatened 
with  violence,  we  act  unselfishly  and  impersonally  in  obeying; 
and  it  would  seem  to  be  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
that  we  should  be  bravely  faithful  to  that  trust,  undesired, 
but  thrust  upon  us  at  heavy  cost  to  our  ease  and  safety. 

IV 

But  even  this  does  not  wholly  answer  our  perplexity.  The 
act  of  war  involves  us  in  hideous  incongruities  as  Christians. 
It  is  certainly  possible  for  the  noblest  type  of  man  to  fight 
without  hatred  or  bitterness.  General  Lee  and  many  another 
great  soldier  have  placed  this  beyond  dispute.  But  how  can 
anything  be  approved  by  God  that  is  attended  in  actual  fact 
by  the  unleashed  passion  and  furious  rage  of  men  past  all 
control  in  the  delirium  of  hand-to-hand  fighting?  Here  is 
where  many  find  an  insoluble  enigma,  that  seems  to  bafifle  all 
apology  or  explanation  for  Christian  men.  If  men  charged 
with  overthrowing  rampant  wickedness  were  able  to  act  as 
God's  instruments  with  the  cold  passionless  severity  of  a 
legion  of  angels,  the  problem  would  disappear.  But  as  it  is, 
their  unfitness  for  such  a  task  is  pitifully  manifest. 

One  can  only  answer  that  this  is  true.  The  human  instru- 
ments are  imperfect  and  unworthy,  and  under  fierce  strain 
the  unworthiness  may  become  even  shockingly  apparent.  And 
yet,  the  imperfection  with  which  they  carry  out  their  grim 
task  of  punishing  evil  does  not  make  the  task  itself  unright- 
eous  or   unworthy.     As   well   might  one   say  that  the   whole 

69 


[V-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

judicial  and  penal  system  of  society  should  be  abandoned, 
because  society  has  always  flagrantly  mishandled  the  task, 
and  even  till  today  our  jails  and  prisons  have  often  been 
hotbeds  of  abuse.  The  teaching  of  Jesus  is  not  that  we 
should  abandon  the,  effort  to  police  our  cities  or  to  protect 
the  State  from  organized  vice  and  crime,  because  the  admin- 
istration of  the  law  has  always  been  so  wretchedly  imperfect. 

The  tiger  in  us  lies  not  far  below  the  surface,  and  many 
a  necessary  situation  with  which  life  at  its  present  stage  of 
development  compels  us  to  grapple  brings  the  hateful  qualities 
of  a  fighting  animal  into  prominence.  And  yet,  whether  done 
well  or  ill,  the  work  has  to  be  done.  If  a  man  is  fighting 
drunk  and  threatening  to  murder  his  wife  and  children,  it 
is  a  horrid  thing  to  see  a  policeman  leap  upon  him  and  at 
last  club  him  into  insensibility  before  he  can  be  thrust  into 
the  patrolwagon.  And  yet,  distressing  and  odious  as  it  is, 
and  little  as  we  should  like  to  do  it,  the  job  has  somehow 
to  be  done,  and  done  on  the  instant,  if  the  woman's  life  is 
to  be  protected.  We  may  grant  that  it  is  the  shame  and 
punishment  of  society  for  its  sins,  either  that  a  man  should 
be  fighting  drunk  or  that  a  people  should  be  so  misled  as  to 
run  amuck  among  its  neighbors.  We  hope  that  the  day  is 
nearly  past  when  such  things  can  be.  But  so  long  as  the 
cries  of  the  tortured  are  in  our  ears,  so  long  are  the  strong 
called  to  be  the  defenders  of  the  weak;  even  though  the 
strong  are  not  without  fault,  and  even  betray,  in  responding 
to  the  call,  that  they,  too,  have  need  of  God's  forgiveness 
for  their  flaming  temper. 

Our  whole  discussion  up  to  this  point  has  been  of  a  rare 
and  terrible  exception  to  the  ordinary  tenor  of  hum^n  life. 
As  life  is  today,  we  have  been  forced  to  assume  the  un- 
familiar and  uncongenial  function  of  impersonal  executors 
of  the  will  of  the  State,  in  resisting  by  force  a  cruel  invasion 
of  human  rights.  But  it  is  an  exception  as  rare  as  it  is 
terrible,  and,  please  God,  it  will  never  occur  again  in  the 
experience  of  those  now  living.  It  should  not  fill  our  horizon, 
or  blind  us  for  a  moment  to  the  fact  that,  while  war  passes, 
there  abides  unchanging  forever  the  necessity  that  the  sons 
of  the  Most  High  should  be  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one 
another,  even  as  God  in  Christ  forgave  them. 

Even  in  war-time,  the  deepest  levels  of  our  thinking  cannot 
70 


BE    YE   MERCIFUL  [V-c] 

be  of  strife  and  human  enmities.  God  comes  first  and  last 
in  each  conscious  day,  and  facing  Him  we  face  the  redeem- 
ing power  of  love  unto  death.  It  is  love  that  will  win  the 
day  in  the  far  end,  because  God  is  God,  and  we  dare  not 
lose  touch  with  it.  Even  for  ourselves,  the  only  hope  is  in 
the  forgiveness  of  God,  and  this  being  so  we  dare  not  set 
any  limits  to  our  forgiveness  of  others. 

Jesus  does  not  ask  us  for  the  impossible.  Even  God 
cannot  forgive  an  impenitent  man.  There  is  no  way  to  close 
the  circuit  of  forgiveness  if  the  offender  refuses  to  be  for- 
given. Forgiveness  without  righteousness  works  worse  evils 
than  it  cures,  like  a  mother's  indulgence  of  a  spoiled  child. 
But  within  the  limits  of  the  possible,  Jesus  calls  for  the 
utmost  friendliness  that  can  be  exercised.  Indeed,  he  shuts 
us  out  from  the  divine  compassion  if  we  are  ourselves  hard- 
hearted and  unforgiving.  Every  time  that  we  recite  the 
Lord's  Prayer  in  such  a  spirit  we  shut  the  gates  of  mercy 
on  ourselves.  As  A.  W.  Hare  long  ago  expressed  it,  in  the 
"prayer  of  the  unforgiving  man" : 

"O  God,  I  have  sinned  against  thee  many  times  from  my 
youth  up  until  now.  I  have  often  been  forgetful  of  thy 
goodness ;  I  have  not  duly  thanked  thee  for  thy  mercies ; 
I  have  neglected  thy  service ;  I  have  broken  thy  laws ;  I  have 
done  many  things  utterly  wrong  against  thee.  .  .  .  Such  is 
my  guiltiness,  O  Lord,  in  thy  sight ;  deal  with  me,  I  be- 
seech thee,  even  as  I  deal  with  my  neighbor.  He  has  not 
offended  me  one-tenth,  one  hundredth  part  as  much  as  I 
have  offended  thee ;  but  he  has  offended  me  very  grievously, 
and  I  cannot  forgive  him.  Deal  with  me,  I  beseech  thee,  O 
Lord,  as  I  deal  with  him.  ...  I  remember  and  treasure  up 
every  little  trifle  which  shows  how  ill  he  has  behaved  to  me. 
I  am  determined  to  take  the  very  first  opportunity  of  doing 
him  an  ill  turn.  Deal  with  me,  I  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  as 
I  deal  with  him." 

We  wish  to  keep  the  gates  of  mercy  wide  open  for  our- 
selves ;  but  in  sober  truth  it  is  our  own  attitude  to  our  fellow- 
men  which  determines  how  far  open  they  shall  be — not 
through  any  arbitrary  enactment  of  God,  but  in  the  natural 
working  out  of  his  moral  order.  A  hard,  grudging  temper 
on  our  part  shows  that  we  have  not  ourselves  the  penitent 
and    humble    spirit    that    alone    makes    it    possible    for    God 

71 


IV-cJ  •  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

abundantly  to  forgive.  We  will  not  let  his  love  completely 
in.  Any  sort  of  external  or  mechanical  forgiveness  we  would 
accept,  but  the  only  real  forgiveness  that  there  can  be — 
the  breaking  down  of  our  selfish  will  and  the  subduing  of 
our  whole  heart  with  thankful  love  and  penitence — that  we 
cannot  have,  if  we  are  to  hold  on  to  our  stubborn  hardness 
to  our  brother. 

And  so  it  is  a  vital  matter  for  Christian  character  that 
it  should  be  tender-hearted.  We  have  seen  enough  of  a 
Christianity  that  can  be  satisfied  with  itself  even  when  it  is 
clean  out  of  touch  with  its  Master  in  this  respect.  The  world 
groaned  under  the  curse  of  it.  It  is  for  us  to  see  to  it  that, 
in  the  tiny  segment  of  Christendom  which  we  fill,  the  spirit 
of  Jesus  actually  is  in  control. 


72 


.     CHAPTER   VI 

Intensity  of   Purpose 

DAILY  READINGS 

We  are  familiar  today  with  the  faces  of  the  Caesars,  and 
even  the  rulers  of  Egypt  long  before  Rome's  greatness  are 
not  unknown  to  us.  But  no  likeness  of  Jesus,  of  any  sort, 
has  been  preserved.  We  know  nothing  of  how  he  looked. 
And  yet  we  need  no  one  to  tell  us  that,  when  at  the  age  of 
thirty  he  left  his  home  in  Nazareth,  he  was  not  a  young  man 
with  a  weak  mouth  and  feeble  chin.  Whatever  else  was  in 
his  face,  lirmness  was  there,  and  a  resolute  intensity  that 
spoke  of  a  purpose  slowly  matured  and  inflexible  as  iron. 
Certain  writers  of  our  day  would  almost  make  us  feel  that 
we  are  weak-minded  if  we  trust  in  a  Heavenly  Father.  But 
when  we  turn  to  him  who  is  the  Leader  of  all  such  as  put 
their  trust  in  God,  we  recognize,  with  proud  confidence  that 
of  all  strong  souls  he  was  the  strongest.  He  calmly  planted 
a  world-wide  kingdom  where  men  could  see  no  room  even 
for  a  Jewish  sect  to  grow.  He  gave  his  life  unhesitatingly 
for  its  establishment,  because  it  meant  righteousness  and  joy 
for  men.  There  was  an  intensity  about  his  purpose  that  did 
not  spring  from  narrowness,  but  was  rooted  in  clear  vision 
of  realities  that  run  far  out  beyond  our  worldly  horizons. 

And  in  the  nature  of  the  case  he  called  his  followers  and 
disciples  to  a  like  singleness  of  aim,  stronger  than  life  or 
death.  He  shared  with  them  his  vision,  and  he  required 
of  them  the  same  dedication  of  themselves  to  the  great  re- 
deeming plan  of  God.  The  only  type  of  character  which 
he  could  approve,  or  for  which  he  could  be  held  responsible, 
was  one  built  up  in  a  thoroughgoing,  uncalculating  devotion 
to  a  supreme  end.  The  passages  for  the  week  reiterate  this 
necessity  from  various  angles. 

73 


[VI-i]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

Sixth  Week,  First  Day 

And  he  began  to  teach  them,  that  the  Son  of  man  must 
suffer  many  things,  and  be  rejected  by  the  elders,  and 
the  chief  priests,  and  the  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  after 
three  days  rise  again.  And  he  spake  the  saying  openly. 
And  Peter  took  him,  and  began  to  rebuke  him.  But  he 
turning  about,  and  seeing  his  disciples,  rebuked  Peter, 
and  saith,  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan;  for  thou  mindest 
not  the  things  of  God,  but  the  things  of  men.  And  he 
called  unto  him  the  multitude  with  his  disciples,  and 
said  unto  them,  If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let 
him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me. 
For  whosoever  would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  who- 
soever shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  and  the  gospel's 
shall  save  it.  For  what  doth  it  profit  a  man,  to  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  forfeit  his  life?  For  what  should  a  man 
give  in  exchange  for  his  life?  For  whosoever  shall  be 
ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  words  in  this  adulterous  and 
sinful  generation,  the  Son  of  man  also  shall  be  ashamed 
of  him,  when  he  cometh  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  with 
the  holy  angels. — Mark  8:31-38. 

It  is  best  to  face  at  once  this  unwelcome  assertion  of  the 
general  principle  involved,  which  men  will  always  quote  as  its 
classical  expression.  It  is  the  summing  up  of  a  necessity 
imbedded  in  the  nature  of  the  Christian  life.  There  can  be 
no  genuine  Christianity  without  it,  although  the  Church  has 
often  pushed  it  clear  out  of  sight  because  of  the  awkward 
obtrusiveness  of  such  a  requirement  in  a  comfortable  reli- 
gion. Doctrines  that  the  Church  insisted  on  as  essential  to 
salvation,  people  used  to  believe  easily ;  but  it  has  never  been 
easy  anywhere  to  get  men  and  v/omen  to  deny  themselves. 

And  yet  there  is  no  escaping  the  fact  that  this  is  where 
Jesus  starts  in  the  building  of  his  disciples'  character.  "If 
any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  .  .  .  and 
follow  me."  Of  course  there  always  are  and  have  been  many 
people  who  are  so  taken  up  with  the  joy  and  privilege  of  the 
last  part  of  the  command — following  him — that  they  obey 
the  first  part  almost  unconsciously  in  an  abandonment  of 
self-forgetfulness.  It  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world 
for  them  to  do,  and  one  might  almost  say  the  easiest.  The 
woman  at  the  feast  of  Simon,  or  Zacchseus  in  his  luxurious 
home  in  Jericho,  or  Mary  with  her  sister  at  Bethany — they 

74 


INTENSITY   OF  PURPOSE  [VI-2] 

quite  forgot  themselves  in  their  eagerness  to  show  their 
gratitude  to  the  Friend  who  had  brought  them  the  joy  of  life. 
And,  thank  God !  this  is  what  Jesus  meant  by  the  command. 
Not  an  ascetic  prescription  of  a  disagreeable  duty,  but  a 
call  to  a  devotion  so  hearty,  so  overwhelmingly  glad  and 
grateful,  that  self  somehow  shrinks  unnoticed  into  the  back- 
ground. 

"Love  took  up  the  harp  of  Life,  and  smote  on  all  the  chords 
with  might; 
Smote   the  chord   of    Self,   that,   trembling,   pass'd   in   music 
out  of  sight." 

But  this  is  truly  a  divine  achievement. 

Sixth  Week,  Second  Day 

Now  there  went  with  him  great  multitudes:  and  he 
turned,  and  said  unto  them,  If  any  man  cometh  unto  me, 
and  hateth  not  his  own  father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and 
children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own  life 
also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.  Whosoever  doth  not 
bear  his  own  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my 
disciple.  For  which  of  you,  desiring  to  build  a  tower, 
doth  not  first  sit  down  and  count  the  cost,  whether  he 
have  wherewith  to  complete  it?  Lest  haply,  when  he 
hath  laid  a  foundation,  and  is  not  able  to  finish,  all  that 
behold  begin  to  mock  him,  saying.  This  man  began  to 
build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish.  Or  what  king,  as  he 
goeth  to  encounter  another  king  in  war,  will  not  sit  down 
first  and  take  counsel  whether  he  is  able  with  ten  thou- 
sand to  meet  him  that  cometh  against  him  with  twenty 
thousand?  Or  else,  while  the  other  is  yet  a  great , way  off, 
he  sendeth  an  ambassage,  and  asketh  conditions  of  peace. 
So  therefore  whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  renounceth  not 
all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple. — Luke  14: 
25-33- 

The  most  desirable  goods  are  never  to  be  had  at  the  bargain 
counter,  in  spite  of  human  nature's  quenchless  hope  that  the 
best  values  can  somehow  be  got  for  less  than  cost.  Nowhere 
does  this  hold  more  true  than  in  the  field  of  character, 
although  here  also  men  have  always  been  seeking  cheap  and 
easy  ways  to  get  a  priceless  good.  Jesus  seems  to  have 
gone  almost  to  the  extreme  in  his  anxiety  to  shake  off  those 

75 


[VI-3]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

who  were  merely  looking  for  bargains  in  the  spiritual  realm. 
Great  multitudes  were  following  him  about,  as  though  they 
were  ready  to  cast  in  their  all  with  him.  Yet  he  knew  that 
they  were  under  a  delusion,  expecting  benefits  for  which 
they  would  never  pay  the  pricq.  They  really  cared  neither 
for  him  nor  for  his  kingdom.  So  he  tried  almost  roughly  to 
discourage  them  from  a  moral  enterprise  for  which  they  had 
no  courage.  He  bade  them  to  reckon  up  the  cost  before  they 
made  foolish  promises  that  they  would  never  keep.  How 
much  did  they  care  for  him  and  for  his  leadership  ?  Did 
they  honestly  put  him  before  anything  else  in  life?  H  not, 
their  freshly  blossoming  loyalty  would  never  live  through  the 
storms  of  the  next  few  months. 

So  he  shook  them  ofif.  There  was  no  help  for  it.  They 
were  not  in  earnest.  It  had  not  dawned  on  them  that  this 
was  a  life-and-death  matter.  They  would  join  him  as  lightly 
as  our  men  joined  the  National  Guard  in  the  old  days,  and 
not  as  they  enlisted  later  with  France  and  the  blood-soaked 
trenches  only  a  few  months  away. 

One  cannot  join  the  Army  in  war-time  as  a  side-issue  to 
other  interests  in  life.  No  more  can  one  take  up  casually 
with  the  leadership  of  Jesus. 

Sixth  Week,  Third  Day 

And  as  they  w^ent  on  the  way,  a  certain  man  said  unto 
him,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds 
of  the  heaven  have  nests;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  his  head.  And  he  said  unto  another,  Follow 
me.  But  he  said.  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my 
father.  But  he  said  unto  him,  Leave  the  dead  to  bury 
their  own  dead;  but  go  thou  and  publish  abroad  the 
kingdom  of  God.  And  another  also  said,  I  will  follow 
thee,  Lord;  but  first  suffer  me  to  bid  farewell  to  them 
that  are  at  my  house.  But  Jesus  said  unto  him.  No  man, 
having  put  his  hand  to  the  plow,  and  looking  back,  is 
fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God. — Luke  9 :  57-62. 

Possibly  there  were  some  generals  in  the  War,  a  place  on 
whose  staflf  was  looked  on  as  a  soft  berth.  But  of  a  cer- 
tainty there  were  others  whose  very  attraction  was  that  they 

76 


INTENSITY   OF  PURPOSE  tVI-4] 

treated  their  aides  as  hardly  as  they  did  themselves.  Their 
whole  life  was  so  absorbed  in  the  struggle  of  the  War,  that 
privation  and  danger  and  death  were  simply  not  to  be  re- 
garded as  deterrent  factors.  They  had  a  scorn  like  Kitchener's 
for  indolent,  ease-loving  persons  who  yet  like  to  wear  a 
uniform.     They  used  men  without  sparing  them. 

Jesus  was  such  a  leader.  Especially  as  he  began  to  come 
within  sight  of  his  own  tragic  end,  did  he  startle  his  hearers 
with  hard  utterances  that  would  never  have  come  to  his  lips 
in  the  earlier  days  in  Galilee.  A  forsaken  man  under  the 
shadow  of  death  does  not  talk  in  the  same  way  as  a  hopeful 
young  reformer  in  the  springtime  of  his  popularity.  How- 
ever gallant  his  own  spirit,  an  unwonted  type  of  sternness  is 
apt  to  creep  into  his  utterances.  And  Jesus  was  so  weary  of 
men  and  women  who  would  not  take  life  seriously,  who 
would  not  stand  the  strain  of  character-building  under  his 
leadership !  Again  and  again  he  seems  deliberately  to  have 
set  himself  to  discourage  them,  as  in  this  passage,  from  im- 
pulsive profession  of  discipleship. 

No  one  would  be  more  regardful  of  real  filial  piety  than 
he  who  rebuked  the  Pharisees  for  holding  it  lightly.  But 
he  would  not  allow  it  to  be  pleaded  insincerely  as  an  excuse 
for  putting  ofif  decision  in  a  moral  crisis.  These  men  were 
facing  a  spiritual  emergency  of  inexpressible  consequence 
to  themselves  and  others — they  must  meet  it  with  an  unfalter- 
ing decision.  Anything  less  on  their  part  showed  that  they 
did  not  know  what  they  were  about. 

When  we  discuss  our  personal  attitude  to  the  leadership  of 
Jesus,  we  are  not  discussing  a  hypothetical  problem  of 
academic  interest,  but  the  crucial  factor  in  our  soul's  life 
and  health. 

Sixth  Week,  Fourth  Day 

And  one  said  unto  him,  Lord,  are  they  ie-w  that  are 
saved?  And  he  said  unto  them.  Strive  to  enter  in  by  the 
narrow  door:  for  many,  I  say  unto  you,  shall  seek  to 
enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.  When  once  the  master 
of  the  house  is  risen  up,  and  hath  shut  to  the  door,  and 
ye  begin  to  stand  without,  and  to  knock  at  the  door,  say- 
ing, Lord,  open  to  us;  and  he  shall  answer  and  say  to 
you,  I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are;  then  shall  ye  begin  to 

77 


lVI-4]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

say.  We  did  eat  and  drink  in  thy  presence,  and  thou  didst 
teach  in  our  streets;  and  he  shall  say,  I  tell  you,  I  know 
not  whence  ye  are;  depart  from  me,  all  ye  workers  of 
iniquity.  There  shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnashing 
of  teeth,  when  ye  shall  see  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
yourselves  cast  forth  without.  And  they  shall  come  from 
the  east  and  west,  and  from  the  north  and  south,  and 
shall  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  behold, 
there  are  last  who  shall  be  first,  and  there  are  first  who 
shall  be  last. — Luke  13:23-30. 

These  words  may  have  become*  commonplace  to  us  from 
long  familiarity.  But  they  must  have  been  rather  dreadful 
to  listen  to  when  they  were  first  spoken,  out  of  a  solemn 
intensity  of  conviction.  And  still  there  is  an  air  of  doom 
about  them.  We  would  like  to  live  in  a  world  with  no  doom 
in  it,  no  irretrievable  loss,  no  too  costly  error.  But  Jesus 
was  only  enunciating,  as  regards  supreme  values,  the  principle 
that  is  plain  enough  in  lesser  things.  The  seemingly  privi- 
leged and  favored,  who  rely  only  upon  their  pull  to  carry 
them  into  the  best  positions,  simply  have  no  chance  in  any 
day  of  ultimate  awards,  as  against  the  men  from  nowhere 
who  have  struggled  fiercely  for  years  to  fit  themselves  for 
those  responsibilities. 

It  is  as  true  in  the  field  of  the  spirit  as  in  the  world  of 
railroading  or  engineering.  Drifting  may  carry  one  long 
distances,  but  in  the  end  of  the  day  it  lands  no  one  where 
he  wants  to  go.  And  if  a  man  is  not  to  be  in  deadly  earnest 
about  his  own  soul — truth  and  honor  and  faith  and  love,  for 
his  own  sake  and  others' — in  Heaven's  name  what  is  he  to 
be  earnest  about?  It  is  conceded  that  it  is  the  mark  of  a  live 
man  to  be  enthusiastic  in  love  and  business  and  sport  and 
politics  and  war ;  but  to  be  enthusiastic  about  the  Christian 
life  is  generally  considered,  especially  in  academic  circles, 
to  be  in  bad  form.  Jesus  here  tells  us  in  homely  phrase 
what  he  thinks  about  it.  "Strive  to  enter  in  by  the  narrow 
door,  for  many  shall  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be 
able."  It  is  the  great  adventure.  It  must  be  made  when 
one's  will  is  still  responsive  to  one's  command.  It  is  not 
too  easy  for  the  strongest,  and  yet  easy  enough  for  timid 
souls  like  Mr.  Faintheart  and  Air.  Fearing. 

78 


INTENSITY    OF   PURPOSE  [VI-5] 

Sixth  Week,  Fifth  Day 

Think  not  that  I  came  to  send  peace  on  the  earth:  I 
came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  came  to  set 
a  man  at  variance  against  his  father,  and  the  daughter 
against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter  in  law  against  her 
mother  in  law:  and  a  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his 
own  household.  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more 
than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me;  and  he  that  loveth  son 
or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me.  And  he 
that  doth  not  take  his  cross  and  follow  after  me,  is  not 
worthy  of  me.  He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and 
he  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it. — Matt. 

10:34-39. 

Brethren,  I  count  not  myself  yet  to  have  laid  hold:  but 
one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind, 
and  stretching  forward  to  the  things  which  are  before,  I 
press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of  the  high  call- 
ing of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. — Phil.  3:  13,  14. 

There  have  been  times  when  Christians  were  expected,  so 
to  speak,  to  be  at  ease  in  Zion,  when  to  be  a  disciple  of  Jesus 
was  supposed  to  mean  a  life  of  placid  tranquillity,  as  be- 
fitted one  who  had  made  his  peace  with  God.  But  wherever 
Jesus  is  in  this  world,  there  is  strife  and  turmoil.  You 
might  as  well  plant  a  boulder  in  the  middle  of  a  swift  stream 
and  expect  it  to  hold  its  place  without  rippling  the  oily 
smoothness  of  the  current.  You  might  as  well  place  good 
Mr.  Faithful  in  the  streets  of  Vanity  Fair  and  expect  to 
avoid  a  collision  and  a  brawl.  The  mob  will  surge  down  on 
Faithful,  just  as  the  white  foam  will  leap  about  the  obstruct- 
ing boulder. 

Jesus  was  under  no  illusion  as  to  the  clashing  of  wills 
that  must  take  place  in  human  society  if  a  man  stands  firm 
for  the  pure,  just  will  of  God.  There  must  be  iron  in  his 
soul  if  he  expects  to  win  out  in  such  a  determination.  If  the 
path  of  least  resistance  is  what  he  wants,  the  sooner  he  loses 
sight  of  Jesus  Christ  the  better.  For  example,  in  the  fields 
of  art  and  literature  and  journalism,  of  law  or  politics,  what 
chance  has  one  of  holding  true  to  the  principles  of  Jesus, 
unless  he  has  a  fidelity  like  tested  steel?  A  half-and-half 
purpose,  that  only  now  and  then  quite  masters  his  affection, 
is  no  good.    He  must  count  on  painful  and  persistent  opposi- 

79 


[VI-6]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

•tion   from  within  and  without  if  he   is  to  build  a  character 
after  his  Master's  pattern. 

//  is  the  testimony  of  life  that  he  who  does  yield  up  his 
life  heartily  to  his  Master's  use,  finds  it  again  in  a  nezv  rich- 
ness, not  for  himself  only,  but  for  his  fellows. 

Sixth  Week,  Sixth  Day 

And  his  disciples  asked  him  what  this  parable  might 
be.  And  he  said,  Unto  you  it  is  given  to  know  the 
mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  God:  but  to  the  rest  in 
parables;  that  seeing  they  may  not  see,  and  hearing  they 
may  not  understand.  Now  the  parable  is  this:  The  seed 
is  the  word  of  God.  And  those  by  the  way  side  are  they 
that  have  heard;  then  cometh  the  devil,  and  taketh  away 
the  word  from  their  heart,  that  they  may  not  believe 
and  be  saved.  And  those  on  the  rock  are  they  who,  when 
they  have  heard,  receive  the  word  with  joy;  and  these 
have  no  root,  who  for  a  while  believe,  and  in  time  of 
temptation  fall  away.  And  that  which  fell  among  the 
thorns,  these  are  they  that  have  heard,  and  as  they  go 
on  their  way  they  are  choked  with  cares  and  riches  and 
pleasures  of  this  life,  and  bring  no  fruit  to  perfection. 
And  that  in  the  good  ground,  these  are  such  as  in  an 
honest  and  good  heart,  having  heard  the  word,  hold  it 
fast,  and  bring  forth  fruit  with  patience. — Luke  8:9-15. 

People  sometimes  take  credit  to  themselves  for  their 
churchgoing — that  they  have  chosen  so  excellent  a  church 
and  sit  under  so  powerful  a  preacher.  We  like  to  think  that 
we  are  the  better  for  listening  to  noble  words.  But,  as 
Jesus  pointed  out,  we  might  even  sit  under  his  preaching 
week  by  week  and  be  none  the  better.  Not  hearing  his  words, 
but  doing  them,  is  the  test  of  character.  Especially  do  we 
need  to  remember  what  he  said  of  those  who  had  the  finest 
teaching,  and  had  a  sincere  purpose  to  shape  their  lives  upon 
it,  but  whose  characters  grew  shrivelled  and  useless  because 
the  divine  in  them  was  spoiled  by  the  crowding  pressure  of 
other  interests.  The  good  seed  was  fairly  choked  as  it  grew, 
by  competing  cares  and  riches  and  pleasures,  till  their  life 
became  in  God's  sight  a  tragedy.  They  should  have  known 
that  they  could  not  successfully  serve  God  and  mammon,  but 
they  tried  to  do  the  impossible. 

80 


INTENSITY   OF  PURPOSE  [VI-7] 

An  enlisted  man  on  reaching  camp  is  not  left  twelve  hours 
to  doubt  that  he  has  been  clean  shorn  away  from  his  old 
life,  and  that  henceforth  Uncle  Sam  comes  first  every  hour 
of  the  twenty-four.  No  one  claims  that  there  can  be  efficient 
military  service  without  this  absolute  priority.  And  there  is 
simply  no  escaping  the  fact  that  Jesus  makes  the  same  sort 
of  claim  on  a  life  under  his  leadership.  The  committal  to 
God's  will  takes  precedence  of  every  other  interest.  Only  by 
such  unqualified  simplicity  of  aim  can  we  keep  ourselves 
steadily  in  fellowship  with  our  Leader.  Many  know  what  it 
is  to  see  men  and  women  leaving  college  with  a  high,  unselfish 
idealism,  whose  very  faces,  after  a  few  years  in  active  life, 
reveal  that  what  was  noblest  in  them  is  being  clouded  over. 

Sixth  Week,  Seventh  Day 

And  they  come  to  Jericho:  and  as  he  went  out  from 
Jericho,  with  his  disciples  and  a  great  multitude,  the  son 
of  Timaeus,  Bartimaeus,  a  blind  beggar,  was  sitting  by 
the  way  side.  And  when  he  heard  that  it  was  Jesus  the 
Nazarene,  he  began  to  cry  out,  and  say,  Jesus,  thou  son 
of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.  And  many  rebuked  him, 
that  he  should  hold  his  peace:  but  he  cried  out  the  more 
a  great  deal,  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me. 
And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  said.  Call  ye  him.  And  they 
call  the  blind  man,  saying  unto  him.  Be  of  good  cheer: 
rise,  he  calleth  thee.  And  he,  casting  away  his  garment, 
sprang  up,  and  came  to  Jesus.  And  Jesus  answered  him, 
and  said.  What  wilt  thou  that  I  should  do  unto  thee? 
And  the  blind  man  said  unto  him,  Rabboni,  that  I  may 
receive  my  sight.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Go  thy  way; 
thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.  And  straightway  he 
received  his  sight,  and  followed  him  in  the  way. — Mark 
10:  46-52. 

This  passage  is  added  as  an  illustration  of  the  way  in 
which  a  determined  purpose  draws  to  its  aid  resources  of 
help  that  otherwise  would  be  unavailable.  The  very  audacity 
of  intense  desire-  cuts  a  way  where  timidity  would  find  no  way 
open.  Especially  is  this  true  of  our  relations  with  a  God  of 
infinite  resource,  where  Jesus  encourages  men  to  throw  them- 
selves boldly  on  his  helpful  good  will.  A  fervent  ambition 
to  be  what  he  would  have  us  be  finds  unexpected  means  of 
success  at  its  disposal,  means  that  in  actual  experience  con- 

81 


[VI-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

tinually  revive  a  drooping  or  discouraged  spirit.  Not  only 
does  such  a  determination  constantly  react  upon  itself  in  the 
v/ay  of  auto-suggestion,  denying  the  possibility  of  defeat,  but 
it  actually  reaches  to  strata  of  life-giving  impulse  that  the 
indifferent    or    doubting    man    never    discovers. 

Here  was  this  blind  beggar,  sitting  listlessly  by  the  road- 
side in  the  sun,  like  hundreds  of  other  blind  beggars  all  over 
Syria.  No  way  of  escape  from  their  misery  presented  itself 
to  the  imagination  of  all  those  others.  But  with  Bartimaeus 
a  hope  sprang  up  that,  once  entertained,  refused  to  be  dis- 
missed. His  presumption  and  his  pertinacity  were  a  scandal 
even  to  the  crowd.  Jesus  was  not  only  not  angry,  but  took 
sides  with  the  disturber  at  once.  And  the  man  received  his 
sight. 

For  all  we  know  there  may  have  been  scores  of  others 
more  worthy  to  receive  such  a  blessing  than  he.  But  this 
particular  beggar  dared  to  venture  all  on  the  Master's  readi- 
ness to  help ;  and  the  audacious  obstinacy  of  his  confidence 
actually  made  a  way  to  the  light  of  day  for  him  who  had  been 
blind.  Only  a  deep-seated  purpose  lays  two  worlds  tributary 
to  the  success  x)f  its  desire. 

"They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength; 
they  shall  mount  up  zvith  wings  as  eagles;  they  shall  run, 
and  not  be  zveary  .  .  .  they  shall  walk,  and  not  faint." 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

I 

Many  old  lessons,  long  forgotten,  are  being  relearned  by 
Christendom  under  the  influence  of  the  World  War.  One 
is,  that  complete  self-denial  is  not  so  difficult  for  common 
men,  if  the  emergency  be  urgent  enough  to  drown  selfish 
consideration  out  of  sight  for  the  time  being.  Ordinarily, 
men  sharply  resent  any  interference  on  the  part  of  the  State 
with  the  ordered  convenience  of  their  lives.  They  raise  an 
outcry  over  a  call  to  jury  duty;  they  resent  being  summoned 
as  witnesses ;  they  pay  taxes  grudgingly,  and  throw  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  any  inquiry  into  their  private  affairs.  They 
feel  that  they  have  an   inalienable   right  to  mind  their  own 

82 


INTENSITY    OF   PURPOSE  [VI-c] 

business  in  their  own  way,  and  any  rights  the  State  may 
have  in  them  are  of  the  most  shadov/y  character. 

Yet  now,  under  the  stunning  impact  of  the  War,  we  have 
seen  men  allowing  the  State,  without  a  word  of  protest,  to 
lay  hands  on  all  they  have  and  are.  They  give  up  their 
business,  they  lay  aside  personal  tastes  and  long  established 
habits,  they  say  good-by  to  home  and  family,  they  even  submit 
their  carefully  groomed  bodies  to  exposure  and  sickness  and 
wounds  and  death  uncomplainingly,  accepting  it  all  without 
debate  as  part  of  a  reasonable  order  which  no  honorable 
citizen  would  refuse.  The  impossible  sacrifice  of  self  had 
become  for  them  not  only  possible  but  easy,  because  of  the 
stress  of  a  national  crisis  vaster  than  they  could  comprehend. 
Men  under  those  conditions  do  not  even  attempt  to  argue — 
they  obey,  as  under  a  clear  intuition  of  necessity. 

And  under  the  actual  discipline  of  life  in  the  trenches, 
this  lesson  of  smilingly  accepting  another's  will  for  the  sake 
of  the  common  good  becomes  like  a  second  nature.  As 
Harvey  Johnson,  the  "Yankee  Kid,"  has  said,  after  his  two 
years  of  perilous  service,  "I  learned  to  take  my  medicine 
without  squealing.  I  learned  that  you  can  do  most  anything 
if  you  tell  yourself  you've  got  to  do  it.  I  learned  to  take 
responsibility  and  to  obey  orders — what  you'd  call  discipline, 
I  guess.  I  learned  to  stand  things,  and  to  do  it  with  a  smile. 
If  I  ever  forget  that,  I'll  have  forgotten  how  I  saw  men 
fight  and  die.  And  I  guess  when  I  forget  that,  I  won't 
remember  anything." 

That  is  what  war  teaches  about  self-denial. 

Jesus  evidently  looked  out  on  the  struggle  of  life  like 
a  man  under  war  conditions.  His  whole  being  thrilled  to 
the  sense  of  a  world  emergency,  submerging  petty  thoughts 
of  private  ease.  He  made  amazing  demands  on  men,  with- 
out apology  or,  as  we  might  think,  without  even  adequate 
explanation.  It  was  as  though,  with  so  many  Frenchmen  of 
late,  the  unspoken  words  "C'cst  la  guerre"  were  just  below 
the  surface,  making  all  intelligible,  calling  men  to  endurance 
or  to  heroism  commonly  beyond  their  reach.  The  contest 
was,  for  Jesus,  one  that  involved  eternal  and  infinite  values 
for  all  mankind.  It  engaged  his  whole  soul.  How  then 
could  he  speak  of  this  moral  warfare  without  a  thrilling 
intensity  of   feeling? 

83 


[VI-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 


II 


There  are  certain  clever  writers  in  our  day — or  were  before 
the  War,  when  men  had  a  mind  to  listen  to  their  philosophy 
— whose  light  wit  and  satirical  humor  make  all  the  issues  of 
life  seem  trivial.  Sin  ceases  to  be  blameworthy,  virtue  be- 
comes tiresome,  nothing  is  base  enough  or  noble  enough  to 
be  worth  getting  excited  over,  to  know  all  is  to  excuse  all, 
and  even  righteousness  appears  but  moral  pasteboard  and 
tinsel.  If  we  spend  much  time  in  the  company  of  minds  of 
this  character  our  moral  fiber  inevitably  relaxes,  and  all  in- 
tensity of  conviction  or  of  purpose  becomes  bourgeois  and 
distasteful. 

Obviously  such  minds  are  in  direct  antagonism  to  Jesus. 
He  tried  to  smite  such  folly  from  the  minds  of  men.  To 
come  from  its  sophistry  into  his  presence  was  to  come  into 
a  different  atmosphere,  as  from  the  languid  warmth  of  a 
hothouse  into  a  keen  mountain  air.  He  braces  men  to  face 
a  world  of  realities  both  terrible  and  gracious.  He  suffers 
no  man  to  saunter  through  it  carelessly,  shielded  by  an 
armor  of  skeptical  indifferentism.  He  bids  men  follow  him, 
sensitively  vulnerable  by  sympathy  to  the  miseries  of  others, 
and  sharing  the  divine  hatred  of  sin  and  love  of  mercy.  He 
drives  men  out  of  the  cultured  ease  of  the  Laodicean,  and 
precipitates  them  into  rough  strife  in  which  one  must  venture 
all  or  stand  confessed  a  slacker  before  God. 

Life  was  no  more  a  graceful  jest  to  Jesus  than  it  was  to  a 
Red  Cross  nurse  at  a  base  hospital  in  France  during  an 
ofifensive.  He  lived  at  the  heart  of  things,  and  it  is  impossible 
but  that  his  words  should  vibrate  with  the  intensity  of  one 
stirred  to  the  depths  of  his  being  by  human  need.  If  we  read 
them  casually,  out  of  the  careless  unconcern  of  a  perfect 
day  of  pleasure,  we  find  them  hard  to  understand.  They  jar 
upon  us  as  stern  and  overwrought.  But  viewing  them  as 
war-time  messages,  and  having  in  mind  the  same  realities 
of  irrepressible  conflict  that  he  saw — a  conflict  in  which 
he  was  himself  being  sacrificed — we  find  them  wise  and  rea- 
sonable and  kind.  Our  first  disposition  to  resist  them  fades 
away.  Even  this  primary  demand  for  self-denial  by  his 
followers  becomes  intelligible.  It  no  longer  appears  an 
arbitrary  exaction^  designed  to  cut  down  life's  pleasures  with 

84 


INTENSITY   OF  PURPOSE  [VI-c] 

a  sort  of  Puritan  severity,  but  a  statement  of  an  obvious 
necessity  that  we  cannot  wish  to  shirk. 

In  order  to  play  the  part  in  life  that  God  would  have  us 
play,  to  be  the  kind  of  men  that  God  would  have  us  be,  we 
must  simply  make  flat  denial  of  the  theory  of  life  that  puts 
self-gratification  first.  Jesus  demands  that  there  should  be 
a  square  turning  around,  a  conversion,  from  the  life  that  puts 
self-will  before  God's  will.  All  character-building  that  goes 
on  under  an  intermittent  or  half-hearted  purpose  is  like 
house-building  under  two  opposing  sets  of  architect's  plans — 
only  confusion  and  loss  can  result 

And  so  he  calls  at  the  outset  for  a  clear-cut  decision  for 
God,  that  shall  go  to  the  depths  of  one's  soul.  He  is  far 
enough  from  asking  for  an  extensive  wisdom  as  to  himself 
and  his  purposes,  as  though  these  questions  must  be  cleared 
up  before  any  decisive  action  can  be  taken.  It  is  as  though 
he  asked  men,  already  convinced  of  God's  right  in  them,  to 
sign  up  for  God's  kingdom  and  God's  righteousness  with  an 
absolute  abandonment,  ready  to  see  where  this  would  lead 
them,  just  as  men  sign  up  for  national  service,  ready  to 
respond  to  any  assignment  the  Government  sees  fit  to  make. 
Most  of  us  would  not  only  like  to  have  the  way  left  open  for 
unlimited  discussion  and  argument  as  we  go  along,  but  to 
have  the  whole  campaign  explained  to  us  at  the  outset,  so 
that  at  any  moment  we  could  change  our  minds.  But  it  is 
as  clear  as  day  that  ^sus'  uncompromising  demand  on  men 
wae^  for  an  initial  act  of  unselfish  allegiance,  based  on  trust 
in  God,  that  should  hold  good  forever.  A  shifting  wobbly 
foundation  for  long  years  of  life-building  was  out  of  the 
question. 

As  Donald  Hankey  puts  it,  "Religion  is  betting  one's  life 
that  there  is  a  God." 

Ill 

One  cannot  even  come  within  sight  of  the  motive  for 
genuine  Christian  living,  without  leaving  behind  altogether 
the  atmosphere  of  spiritual  bargain-hunting.  All  the  issues 
in  view  are  too  great  to  allow  of  petty  calculations  of  profit. 
When  we  come  to  reflect  upon  it,  there  is  an  austere  dignity 
about  the  teachings  of  Jesus  that  is  curiously  unlike  what 
we  would  expect  of  one  trying  to  win  recruits  for  a  difficult 

8s 


[VI-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

enterprise.  He  makes  no  promises  of  gain,  he  offers  no  bids 
for  followers.  He  does  not  say  how  much  they  will  get  who 
obey  his  commands.  He  does  not  even  promise  them  happi- 
ness, or  peace,   or   joy,  or  love,   or   salvation. 

If  one  will  carefully  read  over  the  Synoptic  Gospels,  he  is 
likely  to  be  surprised  to  see  how  bare  they  are  of  any  directly 
offered  inducements  for  following  Jesus.  It  is  true  that 
he  points  out  the  blessedness  of  those  with  certain  qualities 
of  character,  as  in  the  Beatitudes;  but  there  is  only  one 
direct  promise  of  benefit  to  those  who  choose  him  as  Master — 
that  of  rest  for  the  soul.  He  did  say  to  that  first  group  of 
the  disciples  that  he  would  make  them  fishers  of  men,  and 
near  the  end  he  spoke  enigmatically  of  the  reward  that  should 
be  to  those  who  had  left  home  or  family  for  his  sake.  But 
there  is  a  majestic  dignity  of  reserve  about  the  whole  matter 
of  the  benefits  to  be  had  in  his  service.  The  gospels,  in  the 
bare  simplicity  of  their  narrative,  are  strange  documents  for 
propaganda.  Certainly  they  record  more  sayings  of  Jesus 
that  tend  to  discourage  impulsive  allegiance  than  such  as 
fan  into  flames  the  embers  of  enthusiasm. 

The  fact  is  that  Jesus  did  not  try,  like  Muhammad,  to 
make  men  covet  heaven  for  its  rewards.  He  was  concerned 
first  and  last  with  character.  As  a  result,  he  brought  men 
face  to  face  with  the  great  realities  of  righteousness  and  the 
great  motives  for  spiritual  conquest,  and  left  with  them  the 
choice,  but  a  choice  so  irradiated  witb  divine  love  and  for- 
giveness and  mercy  that  it  was  like  an  open  door  of  h^e. 
He  must  have  made  it  shiningly  clear  that  the  message  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  was  glad  tidings.  To  enter  into  it,  here 
and  now,  was  to  gain  the  great  possessions  of  the  soul.  To 
lose  one's  life  for  it  was  to  find  it.  But  the  whole  enter- 
prise and  engagement  was  one  of  seeking  to  do  the  will  of 
God  and  of  bringing  it  to  pass  in  one's  life  and  in  the  world. 
The  unmeasured  capacities  of  the  soul  found  their  satisfac- 
tion there.  He  must  always  have  made  men  feel,  even  if  he 
did  not  say  it,  that  peace  and  joy  and  life  lay  behind  that 
binding  up  of  the  child's  will  with  the  Father's.  The 
estrangement  of  sin  was  done  away,  and  the  sunlight  of  his 
favor  made  life  glad.  And  yet,  to  those  frankly  worldly 
crowds  to  whom  he  spoke,  it  must  have  seemed  at  best  an 
austere  and  unrewarding  faith. 

86 


INTENSITY   OF  PURPOSE  [VI-c] 

It  was  in  full  view  of  these  great  realities  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  and  of  the  infinite  possibilities  of  a  life  of  fellowship 
with  him,  that  Jesus  spoke  so  plainly  of  turning  one's  back 
on  self  as  the  first  step  in  the  Christian  path.  He  was  clear- 
ing the  way  for  the  great  motives  of  love  and  gratitude  and 
loyalty  to  righteousness.  They  have  no  chance  where  self- 
assertion  and  self-love  and  self-pity  are  always  blocking  the 
road.  Our  doubts  and  fears  and  pains  and  pleasures  are 
frequently  enough  to  use  up  all  the  vitality  of  the  spirit  and 
leave  nothing  over.  Jesus  says,  This  is  divine  business. 
Forget  yourself  for  a  little,  give  me  all  your  heart's  loyalty, 
and  we  will  walk  together  to  the  end,  in  the  life  that  over- 
comes. Not  the  half-gloomy  negative  ^f  the  self-forgetting, 
but  the  joy  and  the  strength  of  that  divine  fellowship  is  the 
positive,  essential  feature  of  the  situation.  But  nothing  can 
be  more  plain  than  that  it  is  of  no  use  setting  out  to  build  a 
character  under  the  direction  of  Jesus,  without  a  complete 
and  far-reaching  submission  of  the  soul  to  him. 

IV 

It  is  Emerson  who  said,  "Every  great  and  commanding 
movement  in  the  annals  of  the  world  is  the  triumph  of  some 
enthusiast."  One  only  needs  to  know  life  to  know  how  true 
that  is.  It  is  the  man  who  loses  sight  of  himself  in  his  job 
who  does  the  great  things.  Even  in  civil  life  today  the  men 
who  are  accomplishing  the  great  tasks,  whether  like  Schwab 
or  Edison  or  Hoover,  are  so  devoted  to  the  work  they  are 
doing  that  they  have  no  time  to  be  listening  for  praise  or 
blame,  or  even  to  preserve  an  all-round  interest  in  other 
departments  than  their  own.  They  are  enthusiasts.  One  only 
needs  to  think  of  them,  and  of  the  need  of  the  world  for  men 
of  fiery  intensity  today,  to  realize  how  ridiculous  and  con- 
temptible is  the  attitude  of  blase  indifferentism,  of  languid 
superiority  to  vulgar  enthusiasms,  that  has  been  carefully 
cultivated  by  a  certain  type  of  cultured  men,  too  broad  and 
too  worldly-wise  to  be  caught  in  any  narrow  current  of 
impetuous  and  vehement  devotion  to  any  cause  or  any  leader. 

Nowhere  is  this  contrast  so  clear  as  in  the  long  struggle 
for  the  good  of  huinanity,  where  wrongs  and  sorrows  are  so 
pitiful  and  where  the  emotions  are  deeply  stirred  by  sym- 
pathy.   What  has  become  of  the  academic  calm  in  the  lives  of 

87 


[VI-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

those  highly  educated  men  who  served  for  a  year  or  more 
on  the  Relief  Commission  in  Belgium?  Never  while  they 
live  will  the  flame  of  pity  and  indignation  cease  to  burn  like 
a  fire  in  their  bones,  because  they  have  seen  and  suffered 
under  the  sorrows  of  that  outraged  people.  And  the  man 
who  can  come  close  up  to  the  fortunes  of  the  heavy-laden 
multitude,  as  Jesus  did,  and  yet  hold  himself  indifferent  and 
unmoved  in  face  of  their  mute  appeal,  is  something  less  than 
human.  But  there  have  been,  and  still  are,  millions  such  in 
Christendom.  The  Church  has  at  times  been  choked  with 
them.  Our  universities  have  too  often  been  their  breeding- 
ground.  Right  and  wrong,  sin  and  sorrow  and  joy,  degra- 
dation and  deliverance,  as  forces  ever  working  among  the 
people,  have  only  feebly  stirred  their  interest  in  comparison 
with  business  and  society,  with  art  and  literature  and  science. 

But  Jesus !  How  completely  he  surrendered  himself  to  the 
tides  of  divine  sympathy  that  surged  up  in  him!  How 
gloriously  he  championed  the  right  and  threw  himiSelf 
against  the  wrong!  How  passionately  he  gave  himself  and 
all  he  had  to  the  cause  of  God,  here  among  the  homes  of 
men!  To  look  at  him,  to  catch  one  glimpse  of  his  spirit, 
is  to  understand  that  saying  of  Lincoln's,  "The  only  ground 
between  right  and  wrong  is  battle-ground."  Only  to  come 
within  the  outermost  circle  of  Jesus'  influence  is  to  feel 
oneself  being  drawn  into  the  good  fight.  All  pretense  of  in- 
difference or  languidness  or  superiority  becomes  odious,  in- 
tolerable. We  are  his  partisans !  We  cleave  to  him !  We 
only  ask  that  his  will  may  be  done  in  us,  and  that  we  may 
manfully  serve  his  cause  on  earth. 

And  yet  so  witty  and  wise  a  clergyman  as  Sydney  Smith 
wrote,  "The  Gospel  has  no  enthusiasms."  To  him,  as  to 
multitudes  of  churchmen  in  his  time,  it  had  not.  It  was  a 
way  of  virtue  and  respectability  for  respectable  people,  and 
anything  that  savored  of  enthusiasm — whether  it  was  Meth- 
odism, or  missions,  or  aggressive  evangelism  of  any  sort — 
was  vulgar  and  objectionable.  But  that  spirit  of  conven- 
tional moderation  and  propriety,  bled  white  of  any  red  drops 
of  passionate  devotion,  made  his  age  one  of  a  sterile  selfish- 
ness that  we  blush  to  remember. 

A  singular  leader  Jesus  was  for  so  prudent  a  gentleman  as 
Sydney    Smith,    or    for   men   and    women    in    our    time    who 


INTENSITY   OF   PURPOSE  [VI-c] 

would  make  use  of  Jesus,  as  they  would  make  use  of  Con- 
fucius or  of  Plato,  only  so  far  as  to  feel  the  ethical  uplift 
of  his  teachings.  It  is  impossible  to  make  any  sympathetic 
study  of  the  commands  of  Jesus  without  seeing  that  he  asks 
for  something  more,  something  that  it  searches  the  very  soul 
to  give,  a  completeness  of  surrender  to  his  spirit  that  would 
attach  his  followers  to  himself  by  bands  so  strong  as  to  out- 
last life. 

V 

When  in  i860  Garibaldi,  with  his  legion  of  a  thousand 
red-shirted  followers,  descended  like  a  thunderbolt  on  Sicily, 
he  scattered  like  chaff  the  armies  that  were  opposed  to  him. 
The  whole  world  wondered  to  see  that  little  band  sweep 
through  Sicily  and  up  the  coast  of  Italy,  putting  to  flight 
armies  of  ten  and  twenty  and  even  forty  thousand  men,  until 
the  menace  of  his  name  was  sufficient  to  spread  terror  in  any 
force  that  could  be  brought  against  him.  And  the  reason 
for  it  was  obvious  enough.  He  had  so  welded  together  that 
company  in  the  flame  of  a  fiery,  unquenchable  loyalty  and 
devotion,  that  he  could  wield  them  like  a  single  blade  of 
steel  and  none  could  stand  before  their  dauntless  enthusiasm. 

Jesus  came  into  the  world  for  a  purpose  to  be  achieved  in 
the  face  of  tremendous  odds,  a  purpose  lying  as  clear-cut 
athwart  the  worldly  aims  of  men  as  the  path  of  a  searchlight 
across  the  night.  And  the  followers  he  drew  to  himself 
he  called  under  terms  that  were  agreeable  to  such  an  enter- 
prise. They  were  fused  together  in  the  fires  of  his  own  spirit, 
like  Garibaldi's  legion,  to  be  wielded  like  a  tried  weapon  for 
God's  uses  in  the  world.  There  was  simply  no  place  in  his 
company  for  the  dilettante  or  the  trifler.  It  is  a  good  thing 
for  a  merchant  to  be  a  dilettante  in  art;  it  is  a  graceful 
enrichment  and  decoration  of  an  otherwise  prosaic  life.  But 
to  be  a  dilettante  Christian,  a  dabbler  in  the  teachings  of 
Jesus,  is  somehow  a  contradiction  in  terms.  It  is  a  stark 
incongruity. 

All  these  passages  for  the  week,  laying  bare  the  soul  of 
Jesus  in  the  quivering  earnestness  of  his  appeals  to  men, 
compel  the  conclusion  that  he  asked  for  all  or  nothing.  He 
did  not  ask  that  they  should  suddenly  become  saints  or 
theologians,  but  that  they  should  utterly  yield  themselves  to 


[VI-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

him,  as  those  young  Italians  yielded  themselves  to  Gari- 
baldi, in  a  personal  loyalty  and  obedience  that  exulted  in 
the  sacrifice.  They  were  very  human  and  very  unsatisfactory 
in  many  ways ;  but  at  this  one  point,  of  unselfish  devotion 
to  their  cause  and  leader,  they  were  honest  and  faithful 
altogether. 

The  closer  one  comes  to  the  personality  of  Jesus,  the  more 
does  one  recognize  that  character-building  under  his  leader- 
ship involves  this  complete,  decisive  identification  of  oneself 
with  him  and  with  his  cause.  It  would  be  agreeable  in  certain 
moods  if  we  could  shade  off  his  requirements  into  such  easier 
terms  as  permit  a  partial  or  tentative  acceptance.  But  it  is 
of  no  use  discussing  such  a  matter ;  in  the  plainest  terms 
he  repudiated  all  halfway  agreements.  There  is  something 
in  the  nature  of  the  case  that  makes  such  compromise  un- 
thinkable. 

Paul  has  stated  the  case  fairly,  as  it  appealed  to  him  and 
as  it  affects  any  life  today,  "One  thing  I  do,  forgetting  the 
things  which  are  behind,  and  stretching  forward  to  the  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  Under  the  influ- 
ence of  Jesus  he  found  himself  becoming  a  man  of  one  idea 
— to  realize  God's  calling.  In  spite  of  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil,  in  spite  of  failure  and  perplexity  and  times  of 
spiritual  darkness,  he  would  reach  the  end  that  God  had  set 
before  him — to  make  of  himself  all  that  God  could  make 
out  of  a  human  soul,  both  in  its  own  development  and  in  the 
service  of  men.  There  is  no  use  in  setting  any  other  limit 
to  the  gains  of  character  than  this — that  we  should  realize 
all  of  which  our  nature  gives  any  promise,  in  its  best  and 
deepest  intimations  of  divine  capacities.  So  great  a  thing 
it  is  to  be  a  Christian. 


90 


CHAPTER  VII 

The   Lowliness  of  Service 


DAILY  READINGS 

On  one  of  those  rare  occasions  when  Jesus  held  the  mirror 
up  to  his  own  character,  he  said  of  himself,  "Learn  of  me, 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart."  At  another  time  he  said, 
to  the  same  purpose,  "1  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth." 
Regarded  from  any  point  of  view,  these  are  extraordinary 
utterances  for  one  who  called  himself  Master  and  Lord. 
They  emphasize  a  quality  of  character  which,  in  that  old 
hard  world,  had  seldom  been  regarded  as  princely.  The 
pagan  world  would  have  termed  it,  as  Nietzsche  did  in  our 
day,  a  morality  for  slaves.  But  view  it  as  we  may,  Jesus 
evidently  regarded  it  as  divine.  It  is  conspicuously  charac- 
teristic of  his  temper  and  teaching.  It  is  inseparably  inter- 
wrought  with  his  ideal  for  human  life,  so  much  so  that  men 
have  always  recognized  gentleness  of  spirit  as  a  distinctive 
mark  of  his  real   followers. 

The  ideal  has  been  egregiously  travestied  and  set  at  nought 
by  those  who  bore  his  name,  but  it  must  always  remain 
inseparable  from  any  genuine  Christian  character.  It  has 
never  seemed  so  divine  as  it  does  now,  when  the  want  of 
it  on  the  part  of  his  professed  Church  has  plunged  the  world 
in  mourning.  The  men  and  women  of  this  generation,  whose 
it  is  to  bring  the  peace  of  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth  as 
never  before,  must  learn  well  this  lesson  of  their  Master 
if  they  would  draw  men  after  him.  The  readings  for  this 
week  all  have  to  do  with  this  general  topic. 

Seventh  Week,  First  Day 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

91 


[VII-i]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

Blessed  are  they  that  mourn:  for  they  shall  be  com- 
forted. 

Blessed  are  the  meek:  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness: for  they  shall  be  filled. 

Blessed  are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:  for  they  shall  see  God. 

Blessed  are  the  peacemakers:  for  they  shall  be  called 
sons   of   God. 

Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  persecuted  for  right- 
eousness' sake:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — 
Matt.  5:3-10. 

These  are  undoubted  sayings  of  Jesus.  Who  but  he  could 
ever  have  uttered  words  so  unworldly,  so  revolutionary,  so 
intensely  spiritual  in  their  outlook?  They  represent  his 
surest  convictions  as  to  human  life  and  character.  Chris- 
tianity can  no  more  forget  or  disparage  these  character 
specifications  than  a  finished  building  could  deny  the  archi- 
tect's plans  on  which  it  was  erected.  One  may  frankly  wish 
for  a  more  martial  religion — for  the  ideals  of  Thor  or  Odin 
— and  may  turn  away  in  belief  and  practice  from  a  cult  of 
meekness,  lowliness,  and  gentleness  of  spirit.  But  to  do  so 
is  to  discard  Christianity.  The  orthodox  creeds  of  Christen- 
dom are  mere  sounding  brass,  signifying  nothing,  if  dis- 
severed from  these  moral  qualities.  For  better  or  for  worse, 
Christianity  must  stand  by  its  Founder  here  or  retire  from 
the  stage. 

And  here  its  Founder  stands,  saying,  Blessed  are  the  poor 
in  spirit,  the  meek,  the  peacemakers.  We  may  be  in  a  little 
doubt  at  first  as  to  just  what  he  means  by  the  meek  and 
poor  in  spirit.  But  we  can  fairly  understand  them  from  their 
opposites — the  proud,  the  arrogant,  the  domineering.  From 
all  such,  good  Lord  deliver  us,  and  deliver  our  tormented 
world !  Jesus  wished  to  deliver  men  from  the  corrosive 
irritant  of  pride,  that  dissolves  society  and  allows  no  social 
wound  to  heal.  And  what  he  manifestly  asked  for  was  that 
his  followers  should  be  as  far  as  possible  like  him :  not  poor- 
spirited,  not  abject  or  cringing — all  true  orders  of  nobility 
have  their  source  in  his  gallant  spirit — but  that  they  should 
be  like  forgiven  children  of  their  Father.  He  would  have 
them    humble,    for    their    own    failures ;    lowly    of    heart,    as 

02 


.  THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        [VII-2] 

living  in  the  family  of  God ;  gentle,  with  the  gentleness  of 
true  privilege  and  conscious  strength.  Not  like  Napoleon, 
but  like  Lincoln,  as  Lincoln  became  v^^hen  he  had  to  bear  the 
sorrow^s  of  many  and  drew  near  his  Lord  to  find  the  needed 
strength. 

Only  the  actual  companionship  of  Jesus  is  likely  to  make 
us  find  our  happiness  in  a  temper  like  his  own;  to  follow 
him  is  to  find  what  would  otherwise  be  a  closed  way. 

Seventh  Week,  Second  Day 

But  all  their  works  they  do  to  be  seen  of  men:  for 
they  make  broad  their  phylacteries,  and  enlarge  the 
borders  of  their  garments,  and  love  the  chief  place  at 
feasts,  and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  the 
salutations  in  the  marketplaces,  and  to  be  called  of  men, 
Rabbi.  But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi:  for  one  is  your 
teacher,  and  all  ye  are  brethren.  And  call  no  man  your 
father  on  the  earth:  for  one  is  your  Father,  even  he  who 
is  in  heaven.  Neither  be  ye  called  masters:  for  one  is 
your  master,  even  the  Christ.  But  he  that  is  greatest 
among  you  shall  be  your  servant.  And  whosoever  shall 
exalt  himself  shall  be  humbled;  and  whosoever  shall 
humble  himself  shall  be  exalted. — Matt.  23:5-12. 

The  saying  of  this  last  verse  was  apparently  often  on  the 
lips  of  Jesus.  It  is  one  of  his  most  characteristic  utterances. 
We  see  through  it,  as  through  a  window,  into  his  own  charac- 
ter ;  and  even  more  surely  v/e  see  what  he  demands  of  those 
who  would  build  the  structure  of  their  life  after  his  direc- 
tion. How  the  Church  would  have  leaped  forward  into  the 
confidence  and  affection  of  men  if  it  had  fought  for  this 
truth  as  it  has  fought,  for  example,  for  the  doctrine  of  the 
eucharist !  And  in  these  years  now  just  upon  us  there  will 
be  the  sorest  need  for  men  and  women  in  whose  lives  this 
principle  has  taken  on  commanding  force. 

It  is  only  human  nature  for  us  to  long  to  get  ahead,  to 
get  above  our  fellows,  to  rise  by  them  and  upon  them.  There 
is  a  subtle  delight  in  feeling  ourselves  superior  to  those 
about  us,  in  having  praise  and  honor  at  their  hands,  and  being 
compassed  with  obsequious  attention.  We  love  power  and 
inffuence,  love  to  have  men  defer  to  our  superior  authority 
or    intelligence.     Alere   wealth   is   intoxicating    for   this   very 

93 


[VII-3]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

reason,  that  it  lifts  men  up  above  the  common  crowd,  until 
the  sweet  incense  of  respectful  observance  is  always  in  their 
nostrils.  Much  of  society,  as  we  know  it,  is  pushing  along 
these  lines  just  as  it  was  in  Jesus'  day,  and  men  are  still 
selfish  and  unjust  and  cruel  in  their  pride  and  lust  of  power. 

And  here  Jesus  interposes  this  earnest  teaching,  so  repug- 
nant to  human  nature,  so  unworldly,  but  trailing  clouds  of 
glory  from  the  presence  of  God.  It  is  a  bogus  greatness  that 
one  builds  up  by  pushing  and  elbowing  past  his  fellows, 
thanks  to  his  superior  advantages  and  endowments.  It  leads 
in  the  end  to  humiliation.  The  only  true  greatness  is  the 
order  of  God's  nobility,  and  this  is  built  on  humble  considera- 
tion for  the  legitimate  ambitions  of  others  as  well  as  our 
own. 

Seventh  Week,  Third  Day 

In  that  hour  came  the  disciples  unto  Jesus,  saying, 
Who  then  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  And 
he  called  to  him  a  little  child,  and  set  him  in  the  midst 
of  them,  and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  turn, 
and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Whosoever  therefore  shall 
humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the  same  is  the  greatest 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  whoso  shall  receive  one 
such  little  child  in  my  name  receiveth  me. — Matt.  i8: 1-5. 

There  w^as  something  about  children  that  appealed  irre- 
sistibly to  Jesus.  He  had  grown  up  in  the  intimacies  of  a 
poor  home,  overrun  with  little  ones.  As  the  oldest  brother 
of  James  and  Joseph  and  Simon  and  Judas  and  their  sisters, 
he  must  have  cared  for  the  ranks  of  the  toddlers  through 
endless  days.  He  had  no  illusions  as  to  what  childhood  was, 
and  no  airy  sentiments  about  its  perfections.  And  yet  when 
all  men  were  suspicious  of  him,  the  children  loved  him,  and 
in  this  unfriendly  world  they  were  his  friends  always.  He 
saw  in  them  qualities  that  he  coveted  for  his  disciples,  quali- 
ties, indeed,  that  were  indispensable  if  they  were  to  be 
strong  men  after  his  own  heart. 

What  was  it  he  saw  in  childhood  that  made  him  say  to  the 
chosen  circle  of  his  friends  that  their  only  chance  of  honor 
with  God  was  in  becoming  like  the  little  one  in  his  arms?  Of 
course  the  child  was  immature  and  incomplete  in  every  way, 

94 


THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        [VII-4] 

untested  and  unsure  by  the  side  of  those  weather-beaten  men 
who  had  already  fought  through  numberless  temptations. 
But  one  thing  a  child  has,  which  is  just  what  Jesus  longed 
to  see  in  those  grown  men.  He  is  unspoiled  by  the  vainglory 
of  life.  He  is  still  so  humble  that  he  claims  nothing  for 
himself  of  deference  and  consideration.  His  loyal  affection 
takes  no  heed  of  rank  or  place  or  dignity.  He  clings  to  a 
mother  dressed  in  rags  as  eagerly  as  he  would  to  a  queen 
of  fashion  who  could  pave  his  path  through  life  with  luxuries. 
He  loves  without  calculation,  and  lives  by  simple  confidence 
in  those  who  love  him.  No  kind  of  service  is  below  his 
dignity,  pride  has  not  yet  laid  his  first  generous  impulses  in 
irons. 

This,  at  least,  we  can  pray  for  earnestly  for  ourselves, 
that  we  may  grow  more  childlike  with  the  years,  set  free 
from  pride  and  the  thirst  for  the  glory  of  men,  and  un- 
ashamed to  serve  in  humble  ways. 

Seventh  Week,  Fourth  Day 

And  they  were  bringing  unto  him  little  children,  that 
he  should  touch  them:  and  the  disciples  rebuked  them. 
But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  moved  with  indignation, 
and  said  unto  them,  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me;  forbid  them  not:  for  to  such  belongeth  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall 
not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall 
in  no  wise  enter  therein.  And  he  took  them  in  his  arms, 
and  blessed  them,  laying  his  hands  upon  them. — Mark 
10:  13-16. 

It  was  the  stern  scholar  Jonathan  Edwards  who  prayed 
"that  he  might  be  led  as  a  little  child  through  the  wilderness 
of  this  world."  And  this  gentle  childlike  spirit  we  recognize 
as  perhaps  the  noblest  element  in  his  somber  character.  Poor 
old  Thomas  Carlyle!  If  only  children  could  have  had 
access  to  his  life  to  shatter  his  pompous  solemnities  and 
break  up  the  glacial  crust  that  overlay  his  real  tenderness 
of  heart!  But  he  was  too  much  like  Peter  and  John,  and 
many  things  were  hidden  from  him  in  consequence. 

If  it  had  only  been  a  group  of  supercilious  scholars  from 
Jerusalem  who  had  condescendingly  asked  to  speak  with 
Jesus,    Peter    would    have   compassed    them    with    attentions. 

95 


[VII-5]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

But  that  mothers  should  bring  their  babies  to  break  in  on 
high  discourse  was  too  ridiculous  for  words.  What  had 
children  to  do  with  the  greatest  rabbi  of  his  time,  or  with 
the  councils  of  grave  men?  Yet,  to  the  mortified  surprise 
of  the  disciples,  Jesus  openly  avowed  a  sympathy  with  the 
children  and  the  child  spirit  that  was  enough  to  shake  confi- 
dence in  his  judgment  on  the  part  of  all  the  learned  of  his 
nation. 

Why  did  he  say  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  made  up 
of  childlike  hearts,  rather  than  of  the  wise  and  understand- 
ing? Because  the  unspoiled  natures  of  children  have  the 
truer  wisdom  in  their  confiding  trust  in  love.  A  child  is 
always  ready  to  be  forgiven,  to  be  comforted,  to  accept  fresh 
kindness,  to  lean  on  others'  strength  and  wisdom — neither 
pride  nor  suspicion  have  robbed  it  of  its  natural  trust  in 
response  to  pure  affection.  As  we  grow  sophisticated  and 
self-sufficient,  with  our  tiny  acquirement  of  learning  and 
experience,  we  tend  to  harden  into  an  unfilial  stiffness  toward 
our  Heavenly  Father.  If  we  definitely  disbelieved  in  him, 
discarding  as  unfounded  the  faith  of  Jesus,  that  would  be 
another  matter.  But  quite  without  such  disbelief  we  seem  to 
grow  too  proud  to  rest  upon  God's  love.  We  grow  cold  and 
distant  and  formal,  we  fear  to  venture  much  upon  the  chance 
of  his  good  will,  we  make  ridiculous  pretense  of  earning  what 
we  receive,  we  become  artificial  and  ceremonious  and  sus- 
picious of  having  given  offense,  we  doubt  at  times  if  he  is 
much  of  a  Father  after  all — in  a  word,  we  drop  the  childlike 
relation  almost  altogether  and  drift  away,  out  of  sight  of  its 
joyous,  simple  trust  in  a  reasonable  but  unfathomed  love, 
till  we  lose  all  human  touch  with  the  God  and  Father  of  our, 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

May  our  eyes  he  opened  to  understand  what  his  Father 
meant  to  Jesus,  and  how  we,  too,  may  live  with  him  con- 
fidingly as  children,  every  day. 

Seventh  Week,  Fifth  Day 

And  he  spake  also  this  parable  unto  certain  who  trusted 
in  themselves  that  they  were  righteous,  and  set  all  others 
at  nought:  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray; 
the    one    a    Pharisee,    and    the    other    a    publican.      The 

96 


.  THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        [VII-5] 

Pharisee "  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I 
thank  thee,  that  I  am  not  as  the  rest  of  men,  extortioners, 
unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican.  I  fast  twice 
in  the  week;  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  get.  But  the  publi- 
can, standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his 
eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  his  breast,  saying,  God,  be 
thou  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.  I  say  unto  you.  This  man 
went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than  the  other: 
for  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled;  but 
he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. — Luke  18:9-14. 

No  doubt  there  is  a  warm  satisfaction  in  being  as  well 
pleased  with  oneself  as  the  Pharisee  was.  It  gives  men  an 
easy  title  to  lord  it  over  their  inferiors,  when  they  are  so 
obviously  their  betters.  The  so-called  upper  classes  have 
rested  pleasantly  in  these  manifest  rights  and  prerogatives 
for  many  generations.  Their  complacency  has  seemed  to 
them  only  a  reasonable  recognition  of  the  undoubted  facts 
of  life.  If  God  has  made  them  wise  and  virtuous  and  respect- 
able, what  else  could  they  do  but  exalt  themselves  over  those 
who  were  ignorant  and  careless  and  debased?  Their  very 
superiority  carried  with  it  the  manifest  right  to  rule,  and 
incidentally  to  enjoy  all  of  life's  good  things,  earned  for  them 
so  largely  by  the  labors  of  the  poor. 

Jesus  viewed  the  matter  from  a  curiously  different  point 
of  view,  both  morally  and  economically,  that  enraged  the 
intellectuals  of  his  time.  He  saw  that  this  complacent  atti- 
tude of  superiority  did  something  else  for  the  privileged  few 
besides  yielding  them  honor  from  men :  it  shut  up  their 
hearts  to  the  grace  of  God.  Humility  means  receptivity, 
means  that  one's  heart  is  open  to  God — wide  open  to  his 
forgiveness  and  his  mercy.  The  sense  of  need  is  necessary 
if  God  is  to  have  a  chance  to  enrich  one's  life  wnth  the  true 
riches.  And  the  same  sense  of  need  and  humility  and  child- 
like gratitude  that  makes  one  responsive  to  God,  makes  one 
considerate  and  gentle  toward  men.  The  poor  fellow  who 
said,  "God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  and  who  went  away 
with  something  about  him  of  the  awe  of  divine  forgiveness 
and  comfort,  could  hardly  after  that  be  proud  and  overbearing 
with  his  neighbor. 

To  humble  ourselves  before  God  in  sorrow  for  our  failure 
and  ill-desert,  is  to  make  it  possible  for  him  Uo   deliver  us 

97 


LVII-6]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

from  evil  and  lift  us  up  by  the  great,  silent  energies  of  holy 
love. 

Seventh  Week,  Sixth  Day 

Then  came  to  him  the  raiother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee 
with  her  sons,  worshipping  him,  and  asking  a  certain 
thing  of  him.  And  he  said  unto  her.  What  wouldest 
thou?  She  saith  unto  him.  Command  that  these  my  two 
sons  may  sit,  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and  one  on  thy  left 
hand,  in  thy  kingdom.  But  Jesus  answered  and  said.  Ye 
know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are  ye  able  to  drink  the  cup  that 
I  am  about  to  drink?  They  say  unto  him,  We  are  able. 
He  saith  unto  them.  My  cup  indeed  ye  shall  drink:  but 
to  sit  on  my  right  hand,  and  on  my  left  hand,  is  not  mine 
to  give;  but  it  is  for  them  for  whom  it  hath  been  pre- 
pared of  my  Father.  And  when  the  ten  heard  it,  they 
were  moved  with  indignation  concerning  the  two  breth- 
ren. But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him,  and  said,  Ye  know 
that  the  rulers  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them,  and 
their  great  ones  exercise  authority  over  them.  Not  so 
shall  it  be  among  you:  but  whosoever  would  become 
great  among  you  shall  be  your  minister;  and  whosoever 
would  be  first  among  you  shall  be  your  servant:  even 
as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 
to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many. — 
Matt.  20:20-28. 

It  was  not  lowliness  for  its  own  sake  only  that  Jesus  wished 
to  establish  in  the  characters  of  his  disciples,  but  for  the  sake 
of  its  fruitfulness  in  the  new  Kingdom  of  God.  Pride  is 
anti-social,  in  Jesus'  time  or  in  ours.  It  separates  a  man  from 
his  fellows,  and  loosens  all  the  ties  of  brotherhood.  Humility 
draws  men  together  in  mutual  sympathy  and  helpfulness. 
How  we  love  to  exercise  authority,  to  have  others  work 
under  us  and  do  our  will !  From  the  section-boss  on  the 
railroad  to  the  captain  of  industry,  or  the  prime-minister 
of  a  government,  rich  and  poor  alike  covet  the  chance  to  get 
above  their  fellows.  And  it  is  this  endless  ambition  for  the 
sweets  of  authority  that  is  one  of  the  most  obvious  disinte- 
grating forces  in  society,  among  men  or  nations. 

James  and  John  quite  broke  up  the  peace  of  their  little 
circle,  in  the  eagerness  to  get  ahead  of  their  companions. 
They  were  ohly  following  the  natural  impulse  to  look  after 

98 


.    THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        LVII-7] 

oneself  first.  But  it  is  an  impulse  that  embitters  human  life. 
It  is  human  enough,  everybody  knows.  But  that  is  the 
trouble — it  is  too  human.     It  is  not  enough  like  God. 

Jesus  showed  them  what  was  divine,  what  alone  was  Chris- 
tian :  to  forget  their  itching  love  of  praise  and  power,  in 
honest  thoughtfulness  for  their  companions.  Sympathy  for 
others'  needs  was  to  beget  a  real  ministry  of  love.  We  have 
talked  about  this  principle  in  recent  years  with  such  a  Niagara 
of  words  that  one  almost  fears  to  speak  of  it.  lest  it  seem 
a  platitude.  Yet  it  is  still  a  principle  so  novel,  so  difficult, 
so  wondrously  beautiful,  that  only  actual  fellowship  with 
God  can  make  it  at  all  prevailing  in  our  lives  or  in  society. 

This  is  what  the  Church  needs  above  all  else — not  so  much 
to  adopt  and  proclaim  a  new  social  gospel,  as  to  drazv  near 
enough  to  its  Master  to  have  the  mind  of  Christ,  which  will 
indeed  make  his  Gospel  seem  like  new. 

Seventh  Week,  Seventh  Day 

Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  Jcsus  knowing 
that  his  hour  was  come  that  he  should  depart  out  of  this 
world  unto  the  Father,  having  loved  his  own  that  were 
in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end.  And  during 
supper,  the  devil  having  already  put  into  the  heart  of 
Judas  Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  to  betray  him,  Jesus,  know- 
ing that  the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his  hands, 
and  that  he  came  forth  from  God,  and  goeth  unto  God, 
riseth  from  supper,  and  layoth  aside  his  garments;  and 
he  took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself.  Then  he  poureth 
water  into  the  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the  disciples' 
feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was 
girded.  .  .  . 

So  when  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  taken  his  gar- 
ments, and  sat  down  again,  he  said  unto  them.  Know  ye 
what  I  have  done  to  you?  Ye  call  me.  Teacher,  and, 
Lord:  and  ye  say  well;  for  so  I  am.  If  I  then,  the  Lord 
and  the  Teacher,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought 
to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an 
example,  that  ye  also  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you. — 
John  13:  1-5,  12-15.. 

A  lowly  spirit  is  good  even  as  an  abstract  ideal,  but  when 
made  visible  in  human  life  it  is  an  honorable  distinction.  To 
see  in  the  life  of  a  strong  man  this  humble  readiness  to  serve 

99 


[VII-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

in  lowly  and  self-forgetting  ways,  is  irresistibly  attractive 
and  persuasive.  Anyone  of  us  is  ready  to  stand  on  his  dignity 
and  let  others  do  the  serving.  There  is  nothing  uncommon 
about  that,  and  nothing  attractive.  There  were  strong  men 
in  Lincoln's  cabinet  who  knew  their  worth,  every  whit  of  it, 
and  insisted  on  the  fullest  measure  of  deference  from  all 
who  approached  them.  They  were  aristocrats,  and  allowed 
none  to  forget  it.  But  how  the  world  loves  Lincoln,  as  it 
is  coming  to  know  him,  who  could  so  forget  his  dignity  and 
his  just  rights  as  to  disregard  utterly  the  envy  and  prejudice 
of  those  about  him,  if  only  he  could  better  serve  the  people. 
It  was  the  same  spirit  in  General  Lee  which  made  him  be- 
loved by  all  who  knew  him. 

And  how  winsomely  strength  and  meekness  were  blended 
in  the  character  of  Jesus.  Here  was  this  matter  of  the  foot- 
washing,  a  menial  office  that  had  to  be  performed  by  some- 
one before  they  began  the  feast.  Of  course  it  could  not  be 
expected  of  John,  the  beloved  disciple.  Peter  was  above  it 
altogether.  The  less  prominent  disciples  could  not  afford  to 
lower  themselves  by  admitting  that  it  was  suitable  ^r  them. 
Only  one  was  great  enough,  and  sure  enough  of  his  position, 
to  act  the  servant  among  them.  But  Jesus  was  divine  enough 
to  kneel  at  the  feet  of  each,  with  basin  and  towel  like  a 
slave,  while  they  looked  uneasily  at  each  other  and  at  him. 
Like  society  leaders  from  the  newly  rich,  they  were  too 
insecure  in  their  position  to  derogate  anything  of  their  full 
dignity  or  to  compromise  their  standing  by  any  humble 
unconventionality,  however  useful. 

Jesus  would  have  us  so  sure  of  ourselves  as  sons  of  God 
that  zve  shall  be  free,  as  he  was,  to  serve  in  any  way  that 
we  are  needed,  fearing  no  loss  of  caste  or  honor. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

I 

Somewhere  along  the  road  of  any  detailed  discussion  of 
the  words  of  Jesus,  it  is  necessary  to  turn  aside  for  a  moment 
to  speak  of  his  Oriental  habit  in  the  use  of  language.  He 
was  a  Syrian,  with  Syrian  habits  of  thought  and  speech,  and 
just   as    the    Syrian   of    today    is    widely    different    from   the 

100 


THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        [VII-c] 

American  in  his  way  of  expressing  himself,  so  we  must  make 
allowance  in  the  sayings  of  Jesus  for  similar  divergencies 
from  Western  usage.  Not  to  do  so  is  to  misunderstand  him 
at  many  points.  It  is  to  lose  sight  of  the  spirit  in  the  letter; 
and  the  Western  literalist  dealing  with  Oriental  imagery,  even 
with  the  most  pious  of  intentions,  is  at  sea  indeed. 

The  Syrian-born  Abraham  Rihbany,  now  of  Boston,  has 
made  this  abundantly  plain  in  his  book,  "The  Syrian  Christ." 
He  points  out  that  "just  as  the  Oriental  loves  to  flavor  his 
food  strongly  and  to  dress  in  bright  colors,  so  is  he  fond 
of  metaphor,  exaggeration,  and  positiveness  in  speech.  To 
him,  mild  accuracy  is  weakness.  It  is  because  he  loves  to 
speak  in  pictures  and  to  subordinate  literal  accuracy  to  the 
total  impression  of  an  utterance,  that  he  makes  such  extensive 
use  of  figurative  language."  It  needs  no  argument  to  show 
that  the  language  of  Jesus  in  many  places  is  chosen  to  leave 
a  vivid  impression  rather  than  to  state  a  literal  fact  or  lay 
down  the  precise  form  of  a  command.  He  was  enforcing 
a  truth  with  impassioned  earnestness,  but  we  must  look  for 
the  truth  behind  the  metaphor — not  in  the  specific  wording 
of  the  utterance,  or  the  manifest  exaggeration  of  his  hyper- 
bole. 

To  do  this  is  not  to  dilute  the  force  of  his  utterances,  but 
simply  to  understand  his  meaning;  as,  for  example,  in  his 
saying  that  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of 
a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
There  is  no  more  sense  in  trying  somehow  to  explain  this 
literally  than  in  taking  literally  his  description  of  the  Phari- 
sees as  straining  out  a  gnat  and  swallowing  a  camel.  His 
meaning  is  clear  in  either  case,  but  it  is  not  the  surface 
meaning  of  the  words.  We  can  see  this  clearly  also  in  his 
injunction,  "If  thy  right  eye  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  pluck 
it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee."  The  lustful  thought  would 
not  be  so  easily  cast  out,  even  if  both  one's  eye-sockets  were 
empty;  and  it  is  not  self-mutilation  that  Jesus  is  advising. 

In  the  readings  for  this  week  we  have  the  bidding,  "Call 
no  man  your  father  on  the  earth ;  for  one  is  your  Father, 
even  he  who  is  in  heaven."  It  cannot  be  his  purpose  to  forbid 
a  child's  calling  his  father,  "Father,"  or  a  servant's  speaking 
of  his  master.  He  is  putting  vividly  and  forcefully  the  warn- 
ing against  ministering  to  pride  by  adulation  and  the  heaping 

lOI 


[VII-cJ  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

up  of  titles.  We  remember  how  he  said  that  unless  a  man 
hated  his  father  and  mother  and  even  his  own  life,  he  could 
not  be  his  disciple.  No  Occidental  would  ever  have  made 
that  statement,  and  to  his  first  thought  it  is  repellent.  To  a 
Syrian  its  meaning  is  obvious,  as  the  superlative  demand  for 
loyalty  to  the  Master,  above  all  competing  demands  that 
could  possibly  conflict. 

Of  the  same  sort  is  the  bidding,  "Whosoever  smiteth  thee 
on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also,"  and  other 
commands  associated  with  it,  forbidding  resistance  to  evil. 
Taken  literally,  they  present  a  course  not  only  anti-social — 
hurtful  to  the  interests  of  others — but  inconsistent  with  any 
wise  love  or  constructive  benevolence.  We  must  interpret 
them  as  honestly  as  we  can  in  harmony  with  Jesus'  unmis- 
takable teaching  and  example  exhibited  elsewhere.  At  every 
stage  of  New  Testament  interpretation  this  principle  must 
be  kept  in  mind. 

Some  will  be  inclined  to  say,  Is  there  not  in  this  a  danger 
of  refining  away  our  Lord's  words  and  so  evading  their  real 
significance  ?  Certainly  there  is  a  danger,  as  in  all  honest 
independent  use  of  our  own  judgment.  We  may  possibly 
make  mistakes  of  interpretation.  But  in  the  other  case,  there 
is  not  only  a  possibility  but  a  certainty  that  we  shall  go 
wrong.  And  so  we  have  no  choice  but  to  think  for  ourselves 
what  our  Lord  really  meant.  Literalism  is  not  for  honest 
people,  but  for  the  timid  and  indolent  and  careless.  And  if 
it  be  objected  further  that  if  we  once  begin  such  critical 
treatment  of  Jesus'  sayings  we  shall  not  know  where  to  stop, 
we  can  only  answer  that  this  in  a  measure  is  true,  but  that 
the  danger  is  inseparable  from  honest  search  for  truth  any- 
where along  the  line.  If  we  are  to  keep  to  sharply  drawn 
limits  within  which  no  error  is  possible,  it  can  only  be  by 
leaning  on  the  authority  of  others  in  the  acceptance  of  tradi- 
tion. There  is  in  these  days  no  way  to  save  ourselves  the 
trouble  of  thinking  or  the  responsibility  for  decision,  if  we 
are  to  be  honest  seekers  for  the  mind  of  Christ. 

II 

The  Christian  religion  can  never  break  away  from  its 
humble  origins,  though  it  has  often  tried  to  do  so.  Its  ideals 
of  life  and  character  can  never  travel  far  from  him  who  was 


•THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        [VII-cJ 

meek  and  lowly  in  heart.  This  is  not  so  much  because  he 
was  born  in  a  stable  or  executed  as  a  criminal.  Both  of 
these  things  can  be  so  softened  by  sentiment  as  to  be  com- 
paratively unobjectionable,  even  to  the  proud  and  masterful. 
But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  get  away  from  the  fact  that  his 
hands  were  calloused  by  the  common  labor  of  a  workhigman, 
that  the  only  home  he  ever  knew  was  the  crowded  peasant 
cottage  of  the  poor,  noisy  with  children  and  without  con- 
venience or  privacy,  and  that  he  was  derided  and  despised 
even  in  his  own  day  as  one  who  never  had  the  gentleman's 
training  of  the  schools. 

His  lowliness  of  temper  showed  itself  further,  as  he  came 
to  the  place  where  his  powerful  gifts  and  his  popularity 
enabled  him  to  choose  any  social  backing  he  preferred.  In- 
stead of  selecting  for  his  friends  men  who  would  have 
brought  him  the  prestige  or  worldly  standing  that  he  lacked, 
he  picked  out  those  who  relentlessly  held  him  down  to  the 
humble  level  whence  he  sprang — fishermen,  peasants,  publi- 
cans— men  of  the  common  people.  He  deliberately  consorted, 
not  with  the  religious  or  scholarly  circles  of  his  time,  as  he 
might  have  done,  but  with  the  despised  mass  of  the  poor 
and  ignorant  and  even  the  "undesirable  citizens"  of  that  day. 
His  tastes  led  him  to  pay  much  attention  to  those  who  could 
bring  no  sort  of  help  to  the  movement  he  was  trying  to 
found — children  and  women  and  sick,  even  lepers  and  beggars 
and  obvious  outcasts.  He  went  out  of  his  way  to  show  that 
he  had  more  sympathy  for  humble  and  penitent  wastrels, 
broken  by  life's  hardships,  than  he  had  for  those  who  proudly 
knew  themselves  to  be  the  pillars  of  Judaism.  He  seemed 
to  take  with  utmost  seriousness  such  an  Old  Testament  saying 
as  that  which  declared  of  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  in- 
habiteth  eternity,  *T  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with 
him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive 
the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the 
contrite." 

In  this  respect  his  life  was  all  of  a  piece  throughout,  from 
his  cradle  among  the  cattle  to  the  grave  hastily  opened  in 
charity  to  hide  the  dishonored  body.  And  all  his  teaching 
was  such  as  might  be  expected  from  one  who  chose  for 
himself,  at  his  Father's  will,  such  lowly  conditions  as  were 
representative  of   the  vast  mass   of   humanity.     If  any  man 

T03 


IVII-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

chooses  to  shape  his  life  after  the  ideals  of  Jesus,  from  now 
to  the  end  of  time  he  will  have  to  choose  a  life  that  rather 
forgets  itself  for  the  good  of  others  than  seeks  to  be  refined 
and  enriched  at  their  expense.  It  may  be  a  life  of  leadership, 
possibly  of  power  and  authority  among  the  people ;  but  even 
in  the  place  of  privilege  the  servant  will  aim  to  be  like  his 
Master,  and  this  will  make  him  still  the  beloved  servant  of 
men.  All  his  life  will  be  infiltrated  by  the  love  of  God,  and 
this  will  make  him  loving  and  gentle  in  his  turn,  hating 
arrogance  and  fearing  the  insidious  poison  of  self-sufficiency 
and  pride. 

Ill 

It  has  always  been  a  grievance  with  some  that  Jesus  did 
not  lay  greater  stress  on  the  more  masculine  and  self-assertive 
virtues — courage,  firmness,  gallantry,  and  other  qualities  de- 
noting energy  and  leadership.  It  may  be  said  in  answer  that 
Jesus  emphasized  what  needed  to  be  emphasized  with  those 
to  whom  he  spoke.  It  would  have  been  another  matter  if 
he  had  been  addressing  a  people  of  gentler  nature,  like  the 
Burmese  or  the  Hawaiians.  But  the  Jews  were,  a  truculent 
people,  good  haters,  fierce  and  vindictive,  trained  to  despise 
all  others  as  inferiors.  The  other  races  of  his  time  were 
little  better.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  at  the  height  of  their 
culture  were  exquisitely  selfish  and  cruelly  contemptuous  of 
the  unfortunate.  The  barbarians  were  frankly  barbaric.  No 
wonder  that  even  the  personal  disciples  of  Jesus  quarreled 
for  preeminence.  It  was  in  the  air  they  breathed.  So  it  was 
a  new  principle  that  Jesus  introduced  into  the  moral  atmos- 
phere, and,  although  men  have  been  breathing  it  for  nineteen 
centuries,  still  it  is  a  strange  teaching. 

How  abruptly  it  runs  athwart  the  principle  of  development, 
as  it  has  been  working  these  unknown  ages  in  animal  life  in 
the  struggle  for  existence  1  All  about  us  creatures  rise  by 
the  assertion  of  strength  at  the  expense  of  their  fellows,  and 
even  in  us  men  the  animal  struggles  fiercely  to  do  the  same. 
As  Huxley  said,  the  whole  course  of  organic  evolution  has 
no  ethical  suggestion  "except  that  man  must  try  to  go  on 
the  opposite  tack."  We  are  beginning  to  see  very  clearly  in 
these  days  that  men  must  go  on  the  opposite  tack  indeed,  if 
society  is  ever  to  be  delivered  from  peril  of  destruction.    But 

104 


.     THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERVICE        [VII-c] 

Jesus  emphasized  it  to  those  fiercely  proud  fellow-countrymen 
of  his,  so  long  ago.  After  the  tide  of  human  life  had  set 
persistently  for  millenniums  in  a  contrary  direction,  he  de- 
clared that  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  others  was  the  highest 
success  in  life.  In  his  own  career  he  showed  how  one  who 
was  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  might  achieve  a  world  leader- 
ship, by  the  side  of  which  the  power  of  imperial  Rome  sank 
away  into  insignificance. 

IV 

Men  have  not  realized  how  vital  an  element  this  principle 
is  in  the  Christian  religion.  Correct  belief  has  bulked  so 
largely  in  their  thought,  that  gentleness  of  heart  and  lowliness 
of  mind  have  sometimes  been  almost  lost  from  sight.  Yet 
they  are  vital  to  the  character  commended  by  Jesus.  Not 
many  years  were  needed  to  show  how  vital  a  principle  of 
life  it  was,  mighty  to  the  casting  down  of  strongholds.  In- 
fluential men  might  ridicule  it,  then  as  now ;  but  it  was  the 
real  thing  in  the  Christian  religion,  not  the  only  real  thing, 
but  real  with  the  fundamental  reality  and  power  of  goodness. 

Jesus  meant  what  he  said.  His  morality,  his  religion,  could 
only  live  and  grow  on  lines  like  these.  As  it  became  rich 
and  strong  and  proud  and  domineering  it  began  to  fail  and 
fade,  even  though  its  head  called  himself  the  servant  of  the 
servants  of  God.  And  equally  have  the  years  shown  that 
by  spending  itself  the  Church  of  Christ  has  increased.  The 
bush  burns  but  it  is  not  consumed.  The  martyrs  perish,  in 
Rome  or  Uganda  or  Shansi,  and  the  seed  springs  up  and 
grows  a  hundredfold. 

In  early  Rome  the  senators  and  patricians  drove  in  their 
chariots  along  the  streets — proud,  powerful,  supreme — they 
and  their  beautiful  womenkind,  the  conscious  rulers  of  the 
world.  Beneath  their  feet,  underground  in  the  dark,  almost 
within  sound  of  the  rumble  of  their  chariot  wheels,  were  the 
little  rabble  of  the  Christians,  slaves  and  runaways  and  re- 
formed outcasts,  Jews  and  Africans  and  barbarians,  worn, 
haggard  men  and  women  whom  Rome  spurned.  But  patrician 
Rome  in  its  power  and  purple  is  now  only  a  matter  for  anti- 
quarian research,  and  the  despised  company  of  the  Catacombs 
holds  the  world's  future  in  its  hands,  because  of  the  imperish- 
able vitality  of  humble  love   that  ministers   and   serves   and 

105 


[VII-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

spends  itself,  and  leaves  the  result  to  God.  It  is  Jesus  who 
points  out  the  way  to  greatness  for  the  men  of  today,  and 
not  the  would-be  superman. 

V 

In  the  very  nature  of  the  moral  world  there  is  a  necessity 
for  this  requirement  in  Christian  discipleship.  It  is  not  a 
novel  principle,  emphasized  and  exploited  by  Jesus,  but  un- 
related to  the  eternal  and  unchanging  realities  of  the  moral 
universe.  It  roots  itself  in  and  flowers  out  of  one  central 
fact,  from  which  it  is  inseparable,  and  Jesus  clearly  so  related 
it  when  he  used  the  words,  "even  as  the  Son  of  Man  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his 
life  a  ransom  for  many."  This  central  fact  is,  that  God  is 
like  that.  The  eternal  reality  is  a  reality  of  redeeming  love, 
spending  itself  to  save.  This  was  the  constructive  conviction 
of  Jesus'  life.  If  men  are  to  be  in  harmony  with  it,  they, 
too,  must  come  into  the  same  fellowship  of  self-forgetting 
helpfulness.  It  was  God  who  was  in  Christ  giving  himself 
to  human  need.  Apart  from  this  truth,  the  infinite  value 
and  dynamic  of  this  principle  fade  away. 

Who  was  this  Jesus  who  gives  the  world  these  new  strange 
lessons  in  character,  illustrating  them  by  his  own  life  and 
death?  If  he  was  only  another  martyr  in  the  dark,  going 
willingly  to  execution  rather  than  deny  what  he  supposed  to 
be  the  truth,  then  he  was  only  another  witness  to  the  appall- 
ing helplessness  of  man  to  save  himself  and  his  fellows  from 
the  dominating  cruelty  of  successful  force.  But  if  the  eternal 
God  chose  this  way  to  reveal  himself,  to  show  the  incredible 
reality  of  his  love  for  men  in  need,  and  if  Jesus  knew  that 
God's  truth  and  love  were  in  him  to  conquer  sin  and  deliver 
men,  then  we  know  where  we  are  in  the  universe — that 
neither  death  nor  hell  can  prevail  against  us,  because  God 
is  for  us ;  and  that  love  and  only  love  is  the  conquering  power 
that  in  the  end  shall  subdue  all  things  to  itself. 

Because  Jesus  Christ  made  himself  of  no  reputation  and 
gave  himself  for  men,  he  that  would  be  great  must  needs 
come  into  the  succession  of  the  sons  of  God  and  truly  live 
as  a  servant  of  men.  It  is  the  necessity  of  an  eternal  law 
of  life,  manifesting  itself  in  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus, 
because  it  expresses  the  eternal  reality  of  our  Father.     These 

1 06 


.  THE   LOWLINESS   OF   SERJ'ICE        [VII-c] 

are  great  words  and  would  indeed  be  unpardonably  pre- 
sumptuous, except  that  they  are  the  foundation  on  which 
the  life  of  our  Lord  arose. 

Outside  the  radius  of  this  fact — the  self-giving  of  Jesus — 
this  great  principle  of  lowly  service  slowly  withers  and  dies, 
as  it  dies  in  India  or  China  or  Germany  today,  outside  the 
personal  rule  and  fellowship  of  Jesus.  Men  do  not  long  live 
this  life  of  service  apart  from  their  Lord  and  Saviour.  They 
may  struggle  on  awhile,  by  strength  of  inherited  impulse; 
but  either  their  efforts  to  serve  will  bring  them  inevitably 
to  him,  the  Great  Servant,  or  the  life  will  wither  and  die 
away,  in  one  generation  or  in  two.  If  we  are  to  live  the 
Christ  life,  of  which  all  agree  to  speak  so  well,  we  must 
do  it  as  he  did,  with  heart  wide  open  to  our  Father's  love. 
As  the  Father's  mercy  cheers  our  lives  from  day  to  day,  we 
shall  be  able  to  carry  on  his  mercy  to  our  fellows. 


107 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Evils  That  Lay  Waste  Life 

DAILY  READINGS 

We  have  no  ordered  treatise  on  ethics  from  the  lips  of 
Jesus.  The  evils  that  lay  waste  character  and  rob  life  of  its 
beauty  and  joy  are  nowhere  dealt  with  by  him  in  detail 
one  by  one.  But  several  of  them  he  singled  out  for  special 
reprobation,  because  of  their  hurtfulness  and  all  but  universal 
prevalence.  They  may  not  be  what  we  would  first  have 
thought  of;  but  any  character  patterned  after  Jesus  will 
have  need  to  give  serious  and  prayerful  heed  to  his  warning, 
lest  it  be  entangled  by  the  deceitfulness  of  these  evils.  Three 
of  these  are  considered  in  the  readings  for  this  week — 
anxiety,  covetousness,  and  impurity.  The  first  may  not  seem 
to  be  on  a  par  with  the  others  in  its  hurtfulness,  but  only 
one  who  has  lived  past  middle  age  can  have  any  idea  how 
heavily  its  blight  lies  on  the  later  years  of  life,  or  how  it 
makes  havoc  of  the  victorious  life  of  the  spirit. 

Eighth  Week,  First  Day 

No  man  can  serve  two  masters:  for  either  he  will  hate 
the  one,  and  love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  one, 
and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mam- 
rnon.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Be  not  anxious  for  your 
life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink;  nor  yet 
for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more 
than  the  food,  and  the  body  than  the  raiment?  ...  Be 
not  therefore  anxious,  saying,  What  shall  we  eat?  or. 
What  shall  we  drink?  or,  Wherewithal  shall  we  be 
clothed?  For  after  all  these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek; 
for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need 
of  all  these  things.  But  seek  ye  first  his  kingdom,  and 
his   righteousness;   and   all   these   things   shall   be   added 

1 08 


EVILS  THAT  LAV  WASTE  LIFE       [VIII-i] 

unto  you.  Be  not  therefore  anxious  for  the  morrow: 
for  the  morrow  will  be  anxious  for  itself.  Sufficient  unto 
the  day  is  the  evil  thereof. — Matt.  6:24,  25,  31-34. 

Perhaps  we  all  begin  by  regarding  these  verses  about 
anxiety  as  furnishing  good  advice  rather  than  an  imperative 
command.  The  matter  seems  somehow  too  incidental  and 
unimportant  to  be  put  on  the  same  footing  with  the  graver 
moral  and  religious  duties  that  are  treated  before  and  after 
it.  But  as  years  pass,  we  come  to  see  that  this  is  no  inci- 
dental or  unimportant  matter;  but  that  Jesus,  with  his  sym- 
pathetic knowledge  of  the  lives  of  men,  was  warning  them 
against  a  danger  as  real  and  hurtful  as  hatred  or  hypocrisy. 
Indeed,  for  most  of  us,  this  command,  "'Be  not  anxious," 
is  of  more  consequence  than  the  two  solemn  enactments  of 
the  law,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  and  "Thou  shalt  not  steal." 
Heredity  and  training  and  convention  all  combine  to  shield 
us  from  temptation  to  these  latter.  But  what  save  our  own 
enlightened  will  shall  keep  us  from  devastating  our  powers 
by  preoccupation  with  coming  needs  and  troubles?  Just  as 
fear  paralyzes  bodily  functions,  so  it  paralyzes  the  noblest 
powers  of  the  soul.  Fear  of  poverty,  of  ill-health,  of  loneli- 
ness, of  temptation,  of  failure  in  a  hundred  forms — it  not 
only  darkens  the  blue  sky  that  should  be  above  us,  but  filches 
from  us  our  power  of  helping  in  God's  kingdom  bravely  and 
strongly  as  we  ought  to  help.  Depressed  and  self-absorbed, 
we  rob  others  of  the  contribution  we  well  might  make  to  the 
common  welfare  and  joy. 

The  purpose  of  Jesus  was  not  simply  to  set  the  lives  of  his 
disciples  free  from  a  heavy  shadow  and  burden.  Certainly 
he  had  that  purpose.  No  Christian  Scientist  of  today  is  more 
in  earnest  than  was  he  to  bring  men  into  the  freedom  and 
joyousness  of  an  unclouded  peace.  But  the  connection  shows 
that  Jesus  was  thinking  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  its 
long  fight  against  the  serried  forces  of  evil.  He  longed  to 
set  men  free  from  self-absorbed  preoccupation  with  personal 
worries,  for  whole-hearted  efficiency  in  God's  service.  No 
man  can  serve  two  masters,  he  said,  li  worry  over  material 
comforts  is  to  stay  with  us  day  and  night,  or'  secret  fear  of 
coming  sorrow,  then  it  is  of  little  use  that  we  shall  be  for 
God's  purposes.     We   spoil  not  only  our  own  joy,   but  any 

109 


[VIII-2]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

first-rate  contribution  we  might  have  made  to  the  new  king- 
dom of   righteousness  and  joy  and  peace  among  men. 

O  Lord,  grant  us  thy  peace.  Teach  us  hozv  to  fight  a  good 
fight  against  the  inroads  of,  care  and  anxiety,  of  fear  and 
self-pity  and  depression,  and  give  us  the  joy  of  victory  all 
along  the  way  until  life's  end. 

Eighth  Week,  Second  Day 

A  disciple  is  not  above  his  teacher,  nor  a  servant  above 
his  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his 
teacher,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord.  If  they  have  called 
the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  them 
of  his  household!  Fear  them  not  therefore:  for  there 
is  nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be  revealed;  and  hid, 
that  shall  not  be  known.  What  I  tell  you  in  the  dark- 
ness, speak  ye  in  the  light;  and  what  ye  hear  in  the  ear, 
proclaim  upon  the  house-tops.  And  be  not  afraid  of  them 
that  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul:  but 
rather  fear  him  who  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and 
body  in  hell.  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  penny? 
and  not  one  of  them  shall  fall  on  the  ground  without 
your  Father:  but  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all 
numbered.  Fear  not  therefore:  ye  are  of  more  value 
than  many  sparrows. — Matt.  10:24-31. 

Even  character  of  the  highest  type,  as  with  so  noble  a 
spirit  as  Amiel,  can  be  sapped  and  weakened  and  made 
fruitless  by  the  irresolution  and  ineffectiveness  that  come 
from  fear — not  from  the  groundless  pathological  fears  of 
disordered  nerves,  but  from  an  imagination  over-sensitive 
to  the  real  ills  of  life,  and  to  the  limitations  of  one's  own 
deficiencies.  To  distrust  oneself  too  far  is  almost  as  hurtful 
as  to  distrust  God.  To  be  compelled  to  act  and  choose  con- 
tinually when  tormented  by  the  sense  of  one's  own  insuffi- 
ciency and  the  cruel  uncertainty  of  life's  chances,  is  to  lead 
a  life  hesitant  and  clouded,  shorn  of  the  calm  fortitude  of 
a  true  disciple  of  Jesus.  Nothing  great  can  come  of  it.  The 
qualities  of  wise,  strong  leadership  are  not  to  be  found  in  it. 

Just  because  Jesus  asks  for  the  qualities  of  greatness  and 
leadership  in  his  disciples,  he  demands  a  fearless  optimism 
and  points  out  the  way  to  its  attainment.  He  would  have 
them  rest,  as  he   rested,  on  the   loving  care  of  a   Heavenly 

no 


EVILS  THAT  LAV  WASTE  LIFE       LVIII-3] 

Father.  He  did  not  gloss  over  or  seek  to  minimize  the  limita- 
tions of  imperfect  character  or  the  unkindly  chances  of  this 
world.  How  could  he,  who  was  himself  a  Man  of  Sorrows? 
"In  the  world  ye  have  tribulation,"  he  said.  But  he  bade 
them  trust  in  the  wise  compassion  of  God,  who  knew  their 
circumstances  utterly  and  who  would  overrule  all  seeming 
evil  to  their  good.  No  blow  of  evil  fortune  could  come  to 
them  as  a  blind,  insensate  injury,  but  only  as  something  to 
be  used  for  them  constructively  by  a  Father's  love — as  was 
true  of  the  harsh  wrongs  done  to  Jesus.  He  demands  this 
quiet,   trustful    self-possession    if   men   are   to    follow    him. 

O  Lord,  help  me  to  see  thy  love  in  the  dark  cloud  as  well 
as  in  the  sunshine.  May  I  be  sure  that  in  life  and  death  I 
am  in  the  hollozv  of  thy  hand. 

Eighth  Week,  Third  Day 

And  one  out  of  the  multitude  said  unto  him,  Teacher, 
bid  my  brother  divide  the  inheritance  with  me.  But  he 
said  unto  him,  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  divider 
over  you?  And  he  said  unto  them.  Take  heed,  and  keep 
yourselves  from  all  covetousness:  for  a  man's  lifecon- 
sisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  pos- 
sesseth.  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying.  The 
ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully: 
and  he  reasoned  within  himself,  saying,  What  shall  I 
do,  because  I  have  not  where  to  bestow  my  fruits?  And 
he  said.  This  will  I  do:  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and 
build  greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  grain  and 
my  goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul.  Soul,  thou  hast 
much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat, 
drink,  be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him.  Thou  foolish 
one,  this  night  is  thy  soul  required  of  thee;  and  the 
things  which  thou  hast  prepared,  whose  shall  they  be? 
So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for  himself,  and  is  not 
rich  toward  God. — Luke  12:13-21. 

No  one  will  doubt  that  Jesus  has  touched  upon  an  almost 
universal  weakness  in  his  warning  against  covetousness.  All 
about  us  it  is  blasting  the  possibilities  of  high  character 
every  day.  It  is  one  of  the  compelling  human  appetites,  like 
hunger  or  thirst.  It  operates  in  Chicago  just  as  it  did  among 
the  patriarchs  who  kept  their  flocks  and  herds  in  the  desert. 


[VIII-4]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

An  ordinarily  ambitious  man  can  hardly  help  longmg  for 
the  pleasures  and  privileges  that  wealth  alone  can  bring — 
leisure,  travel,  refining  influences  of  every  sort,  and  ail  the 
endless  catalogue  of  things  that  gratify  the  senses.  Some- 
times it  seems  as  though  it  were  of  no  more  use  to  forbid 
ourselves  to  covet  than  it  would  be  to  forbid  ourselves  to  be 
hungry.  How  fiercely  and  how  naturally  we  want  the  things 
that  money  would  put  within  our  reach,  that  yet  we  cannot 
get!  And  yet  Jesus  says  uncompromisingly,  "Keep  your- 
selves from  all  covetousness." 

Evidently  it  can  be  done.  Jesus  did  it.  Men  and  women 
without  number  have  done  it  ever  since.  Most  of  the  great 
helpers  of  humanity  have  done  it,  scientists  like  Darwin  and 
Pasteur  as  truly  as  saints  like  Bernard  and  Francis,  but 
it  is  only  accomplished,  as  Bushnell  said,  by  the  expulsive 
power  of  a  new  affection.  The  mere  negative  prohibition 
is  not  sufficient.  But  a  positive  love  for  what  God  would  set 
us  to  do  has  always  proved  enough  to  still  the  gnawing  rest- 
lessness of  selfish  desire,  and  draw  us  into  contented  fellow- 
ship with  him  in  the  work  of  his  kingdom.  It  is  in  the 
truest  sense  satisfying  to  be  rich  toward  God,  even  though 
poverty  may  give  some  heart-aches  along  the  way.  The 
poor  fellow  with  the  many  barns  and  many  goods  never 
caught  a  glimpse  of  how  good  it  was  to  rest  in  what  his 
Father  would  count  riches. 

To  be  in  fact  a  friend  and  follozvcr  of  Jesus  is  to  have 
one's  character  more  and  more  purged  of  the  itching  craving 
for  the  good  things  fortune  brings  to  others. 

Eighth  Week,  Fourth  Day 

But  they  that  are  minded  to  be  rich  fall  into  a  tempta- 
tion and  a  snare  and  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  such 
as  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition.  For  the  love 
of  money  is  a  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil:  which  some  reach- 
ing after  have  been  led  astray  from  the  faith,  and  have 
pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sorrows. — i  Tim. 
6:9,   10. 

And  Jesus  looked  round  about,  and  saith  unto  his 
disciples,  How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God!  And  the  disciples  were  amazed 
at  his  words.     But  Jesus  answereth  again,  and  saith  unto 


.  EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE       LVIII-4] 

them,  Children,  how  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in 
riches  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God!  It  is  easier  for 
a  camel  to  go  through  a  needle's  eye,  than  for  a  rich  man 
to  enter  into '  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  they  were 
astonished  exceedingly,  saying  unto  him,  Then  who  can 
be  saved?  Jesus  looking  upon  them  saith.  With  men  it 
is  impossible,  but  not  with  God:  for  all  things  are  possi- 
ble with  God. — Mark  10:23-27. 

"Where  your  treasure  -is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also." 
Jesus  had  no  quarrel  with  riches  as  such,  like  a  modern 
Bolshevik.  He  was  concerned  with  the  heart  and  its  affec- 
tions. He  was  trying  to  lead  men  into  large-hearted  ways, 
worthy  of  children  of  the  Father,  and  he  found  money  one 
of  their  worst  entanglements.  And  he  is  neither  telling  a 
secret  or  uttering  a  threat  when  he  says  that  riches  make 
it  hard  for  a  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  It  is 
a  matter  of  fact  and  commonest  observation.  We  do  not 
have  to  be  moralists  to  see  the  enormous  difference  between 
the  people  whose  heart  is  set  on  riches  and  those  whose 
heart  is  set  on  doing  God's  will  in  the  world.  One  has 
only  to  look  in  their  faces  or  listen  to  their  voices  to  read 
something  of  the  contrast.  The  man  or  woman  whose  chief 
aim  is  money  or  its  equivalent  is  steadily  looking  down ;  the 
man  whose  chief  aim  is  one  of  love  finds  his  gaze  more  and 
more  drawn  upward,  in  spite  of  all  the  mists  and  vapors  life 
can  breed. 

The  mere  possession  of  money,  of  course,  does  not  deter- 
mine the  way  one's  dearest  ambition  sets.  A  Russian  anar- 
chist may  be  as  cruelly  greedy  and  selfish  as  a  Prussian 
junker,  as  all  have  seen.  And  yet  the  mere  possession  of 
wealth  tends  to  center  one's  affection  where  all  this  potential 
power  and  pleasure  lie,  in  heaps  of  gold.  The  man  who 
earned  it  may  be  of  a  Spartan  simplicity  of  life  and  un- 
worldliness  of  aim.  But  by  the  second  or  third  generation 
the  fatal  tendency  to  selfishness  and  pride  is  too  likely  to 
assert  itself,  like  a  poison  in  the  blood,  dulling  the  vision  of 
highest  things. 

It  is  in  early  life  that  the  warning  should  sound  loudest 
in  our  ears.  Then,  if  ever,  is  the  time  of  generous  idealism. 
And  if  in  those  years  our  heart  is  covetous  of  what  money 
brings,  checking  our  impulse  to  dedicate  ourselves  unselfishly 

113 


LVIII-5]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

to  the  need  of  others,  our  soul  shrivels  with  the  long  life- 
choice  of  what  is  beneath  the  best. 

The  life  of  Jesus  was  one  of  unselfish  love.  It  is  of  no 
use  even  to  talk  of  Christian  character  save^  as  we  are  willing 
to  he  drawn  into  a  heart  sympathy  with  him,  with  all  it  may 
cost  in  the  choosing  of  a  life-career. 

Eighth  Week,  Fifth  Day 

Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon 
the  leper,  there  came  unto  him  a  woman  having  an 
alabaster  cruse  of  exceeding  precious  ointment,  and  she 
poured  it  upon  his  head,  as  he  sat  at  meat.  But  when 
the  disciples  saw  it,  they  had  indignation,  saying,  To 
what  purpose  is  this  waste?  For  this  ointment  might 
have  been  sold  for  much,  and  given  to  the  poor.  But 
Jesus  perceiving  it  said  unto  them.  Why  trouble  ye  the 
woman?  for  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  me. 
For  ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you;  but  me  ye  have 
not  always.  For  in  that  she  poured  this  ointment  upon 
my  body,  she  did  it  to  prepare  me  for  burial.  Verily  I 
say  unto  you.  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be  preached 
in  the  whole  world,  that  also  which  this  woman  hath 
done  shall  be  spoken  of  for  a  memorial  of  her. — Matt. 
26:  6-13. 

This  is  as  far  from  covetousness  as  the  east  is  from  the 
west.  We  seem  to  be  in  a  different  world  from  that  of  the 
man  who  wanted  a  good  time  for  himself  for  many  years. 
Here  is  one  who  has  forgotten  about  herself  as  completely 
as  Jesus  forgot  himself  for  others  in  those  last  days  of  life. 
And  it  is  interesting  to  see  how  Jesus  reacted  to  such  an 
exhibition  of  character.  We  can  read  his  will  as  surely  by 
what  he  approves  as  by  what  he  rebukes.  And  here  was  a 
case  where  he  gratefully  approved  with  his  whole  heart. 

What  she  did  had  in  it  the  very  opposite  of  greed.  It 
illustrates  how  the  demon  of  covetousness  may  be  exorcised 
and  utterly  overthrown  in  a  human  spirit.  It  was  the  work 
of  love.  There  may  have  been  a  time  when  this  Mary  would 
have  looked  long  and  lovingly  at  a  shining  pile  of  three 
hundred  silver  denarii  on  a  table,  meaning  so  many  hours 
of  gratification.  But  now  they  were  as  nothing  to  her  in 
comparison  with  her  devotion  to  him  who  had  brought  her 

114 


.  EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE       [VIII-6] 

to  God.  He  was  despised  and  forsaken  of  men;  they  were 
hunting  his  life  at  that  moment ;  well,  she  would  show  him 
the  uttermost  honor  she  could  compass.  At  other  times  she 
could  honor  him  in  other  ways — by  helping  his  poor,  for 
example.  But  at  this  perilous  moment,  when  black  hatred 
overhung  them  all,  she  must  show  her  proud  loyalty  and 
unmeasured  gratefulness,  without  reckoning  the  cost.  Money 
could  have  no  better  use. 

It  was  like  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  one  parched  with  thirst, 
and  Jesus  commended  her  royally.  He  lets  us  see  what  God 
honors,  a  generosity  that  forgets  itself  in  love,  a  character 
in  which  hungry  appetite  is  mastered  by  the  highest  impulse. 
The  appetite  seems  to  be  in  us  all,  slumbering  perhaps,  but 
easily  roused  into  hot  desire.  But  equally  near  us  are  tides 
of  a  divine  life  and  love,  to  which  we  may  open  our  hearts 
until  we,  even  zve,  begin  to  think  not  in  terms  of  personal 
gain  but  in  the  high  values  of  the  glory  of  God. 

Eighth  Week,  Sixth  Day 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:  for  they  shall  see  God. 
.  .  .  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  not 
commit  adultery:  but  I  say  unto  you,  that  every  one 
that  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  committed 
adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart.  And  if  thy  right 
eye  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it 
from  thee:  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that  one  of  thy 
members  should  perish,  and  not  thy  whole  body  be  cast 
into  hell.  And  if  thy  right  hand  causeth  thee  to  stumble, 
cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from  thee:  for  it  is  profitable  for 
thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not 
thy  whole  body  go  into  hell. — Matt.  5:8,  27-30. 

If  we  are  to  follow  the  teaching  of  Jesus  at  this  point,  we 
shall  find  ourselves  in  flat  contradiction  with  the  impatient 
voice  of  the  world.  People  say  that  it  is  only  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity  to  which  the  world  has  grown  indifferent, 
and  that  for  the  ethical  teaching  of  Jesus  it  has  nothing  but 
admiration.  Would  that  this  were  true !  It  is  not.  And 
nowhere  does  the  harsh  discordance  between  his  will  and 
that  of  the  polite  world  appear  more  sharply  than  in  this 
matter  of  keeping  the  heart  pure.  Nowhere  is  the  strain  on 
character  today  more  severe. 

115 


[VIII-71  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

Jesus  was  no  ascetic.  He  believed  in  a  rich,  full  life, 
sensitively  responsive  to  every  source  of  joy,  brimful  of 
natural  human  satisfactions.  But  to  be  human  and  natural 
meant,  to  him,  to  be  true  to  our  divine  lineage  as  those 
"made  in  the  image  of  God."  The  more  perfectly  one  an- 
swered in  spirit  to  his  Father's  spirit,  the  more  truly  human 
and  natural  he  was,  the  richer  his  life,  the  greater  his  joy. 
His  life  and  its  satisfactions  were  not  narrowed,  but  ran  far 
out  into  the  infinite  and  eternal,  so  that  as  yet  it  did  not 
even  appear  what  he  should  be. 

A  large  clement  in  the  most  popular  art  and  literature  of 
our  day  in  all  Christian  lands  tells  us  that  we  should  be 
human  and  natural  above  all,  fearlessly  and  without  apology, 
that  we  should  live  out  our  complete  selves.  But  as  the  animal 
impulse  of  ape  and  tiger  is  still  strong  in  us,  to  be  natural 
is  to  be  something  far  different  from  the  man  or  woman 
of  Jesus'  thought.  Perhaps  the  tiger  has  few  apologists  in 
these  days.  But  the  ape  is  in  high  favor — its  horrid  leer 
peeps  out  at  us  from  how  many  of  the  books  and  plays  and 
pictures  of  our  time!  Of  course  it  claims  to  be  all  in  the 
way  of  an  untrammeled  art,  a  generous  revolt  from  prudery 
and  hypocrisy !  But  it  amounts  to  an  endless  solicitation 
to  the  very  thoughts  and  desires  that  wither  the  life  of  God 
in  one's  heart,  as  poison  gas  withers  the  roses  in  a  chateau 
garden.  Jesus  said,  "H  thine  eye  cause  thee  to  stumble, 
pluck  it  out  and  cast  it  from  thee."  And  this  he  said,  not 
because  he  was  a  prude  or  a  kill-joy,  but  because  to  him 
God  meant  everything ;  and  to  lose  sight  of  God,  with  the 
self-styled  Bohemian,  was  not  jolly  life,  but  a  dread  injury, 
fruitful  of  loss  and  deepening  disappointment. 

O  Lord,  help  me  to  think  this  matter  through  to  a  conclu- 
sion of  the  will.  May  I  highly  resolve  to  abhor  and  shun, 
all  my  life  long,  every  needless  incitement  to  evil  thought, 
that  my  heart  may  be  pure  and  strong  for  such  service  as 
thou  hast  for  me  to  do. 

Eighth  Week,  Seventh  Day 

And  there  came  unto  him  Pharisees,  and  asked  him, 
Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife?  trying  him. 
And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them,  "What  did  Moses 

ii6 


.   EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE      [VIII-7] 

command  you?  And  they  said,  Moses  suffered  to  write 
a  bill  of  divorcement,  and  to  put  her  away.  But  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  For  your  hardness  of  heart  he  wrote  you 
this  commandment.  But  from  the  beginning  of  the 
creation,  Male  and  female  made  he  them.  For  this  cause 
shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave 
to  his  wife;  and  the  two  shall  become  one  flesh:  so  that 
they  are  no  more  two,  but  one  flesh.  What  therefore 
God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder. — Mark 
10:  2-9. 

You  can  pretty  well  judge  the  nobility  of  a  man's  character 
by  his  thought  about  marriage,  if  only  you  can  find  it  out. 
We  do,  in  fact,  justly  rate  the  moral  advancement  of  a  nation 
by  its  attitude  to  women.  The  social  stratum  in  which 
marriage  and  the  whole  sexual  relation  are  a  perennial 
jest,  on  the  stage  or  off,  is  a  stratum  of  corruption.  In  pro- 
portion as  the  words  mother,  wife,  and  sister  stand  for  sacred 
associations  held  in  reverent  esteem,  do  we  rise  toward  our 
true  estate  as  members  of  our  Father's  household. 

We  are  not  concerned  here  with  Jesus'  specific  teaching 
as  to  divorce,  but  with  liis  unmistakable  attitude  to  the 
whole  problem  of  the  relation  between  men  and  women.  He 
lifts  it  up  at  once  out  of  the  muddy  associations  with  which 
humanity  had  soiled  it,  and  holds  it  in  a  setting  of  divine 
light,  glorified.  It  is  an  ideal  estimate,  to  be  sure,  but  not 
•less  true.  He  was  no  hermit,  ignorant  of  what  the  life  of 
the  people  really  meant.  He  grew  up  in  a  home,  with  his 
mother  and  his  sisters  alv/ays  at  his  side.  He  had  heard 
from  childhood  the  characteristic  neighborhood  gossip  of  a 
Syrian  village.  Both  good  and  evil  had  displayed  them- 
selves before  his  eyes.  And,  after  all,  he  utterly  repudiates 
and  forbids  any  thought  of  the  home  less  than  one  divinely 
noble — the  thought  of  his  Father.  Both  men  and  women 
are  the  children  of  God,  and  those  whom  love  brings  to- 
gether in  the  sacred  fellowship  of  marriage  are  made  one 
by  their  Father.  The  glory  of  the  goodness  of  God  is  brought 
nearer  to  them  by  their  love,  even  though  it  has  to  win  its 
triumphs  patiently  and  out  of  much  infirmity. 

To  many  in  our  day,  steeped  in  the  thought  of  a  decadent 
society  and  literature,  this  may  seem  purest  moonshine.  But 
it  is  a  vision  of  truth,  a  vision  of  life's  glory,  that  is  always 

117 


[VIII-cJ  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

dawning  anew  on  human  sight,  and  that  redeems  life  from 
sordid  commonness.  Jesus  bids  men  to  look  out  through 
his  eyes ;  to  break  free  from  the  base,  defiling  selfishness  and 
sensuality  of  their  time;  and  to  stand  with  him  for  better 
hopes  for  society  than  men  yet  can  realize — not  petting  and 
humoring  such  animal  instincts  as  may  still  be  quick  within 
them,  as  decadent  genius  would  have  us  do,  but  claiming 
their  high  estate  as  children  of  the  Most  High, 

0  God  our  Saviour,  thou  canst  do  for  us  and  in  us  what 
we  have  tried  in  vain  to  do  for  ourselves.  Give  us  an  early 
victory  over  all  that  stains  and  shames,  that  ive  may  have  a 
long  workday  unspoiled  by  the  things  that  cut  us  off  from 
Thee,  our  strength. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 


Sooner  or  later  we  come  to  realize  how  great  is  the  strain 
on  character  due  to  life's  anxieties.  No  one  can  fully  antici- 
pate how  insidiously  but  how  threateningly  the  strain  arises 
to  cripple  our  energies  and  entangle  us  in  self-absorption. 
The  shadow  of  it  hardly  falls  across  our  early  days,  except 
as  we  are  tempted  occasionally  to  indulge  in  a  fit  of  the 
blues,  more  by  way  of  self-indulgence  than  from  real  trouble 
of  spirit.  The  resilience  and  buoyancy  of  youth  carry  us" 
on  hopefully,  even  when,  as  in  the  recent  storm  of  war,  all 
the  contingencies  of  suffering  and  death  suddenly  open  up 
before  us.  It  is  when  our  reserves  of  vitality  and  nervous 
force  begin  to  be  depleted,  when  the  rebound  to  health  and 
good  spirits  no  longer  follows  so  quickly  or  so  surely  on 
the  heels  of  sickness  or  disappointment,  that  we  realize  how 
Christian  character  demands  genuine  courage  and  firm  opti- 
mism, daily  renewed  from  deep  springs  of  strength  and  re- 
assurance. 

The  light-heartedness  that  comes  from  natural  high  spirits 
and  overflowing  health  is  an  inexpressible  blessing,  but  how 
many  of  us  have  watched  it  die  down  like  the  flame  of  a 
candle  going  out  for  lack  of  oil !  The  cares  of  business  and 
professional  life,  the  responsibilities  of  home  and  children, 
the  failure  of  early  ambitions,  and  the  gradual  oncoming  of 

ii8 


.      EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE       [VIII-cJ 

losses  and  limitations  that  will  at  least  never  grow  less,  th6 
intractable  sorrows  and  wrongs  of  society  about  us — in  a 
hundred  ways  "the  heavy  and  the  weary  weight  of  all  this 
unintelligible  world"  begins  to  wear  upon  our  spirit.  The 
more  sensitive  and  generous  one's  temper,  the  more  vulner- 
able it  is  to  this  invasion  of  its  equanimity. 

Jesus  understood  this  problem  of  our  human  life  with  a 
deep  and  penetrating  sympathy.  He  knew  how  many  hopeful 
lives  were  frayed  away  by  the  mere  wear  and  tear  of  anxieties 
unwisely  born.  He  had  been  in  too  many  homes,  listened  to 
too  many  querulous  tongues,  seen  too  many  faces  deep-lined 
with  trouble,  to  be  in  any  doubt  about  the  dangers  and 
temptations  that  come  from  leaving  one's  spirit  open  to  the 
fret  of  adverse  circumstances.  He  knew  that  any  noble 
character,  if  it  is  to  last  through  a  burdened  life  and  yet 
be  a  steadying,  cheering  force  for  others,  must  itself  be 
steadied  and  cheered  by  an  ever-renewed  trust  in  God. 

First  of  all,  he  gives  us  the  philosophy  of  wise  common 
sense.  "Be  not  anxious  for  the  morrow,  for  the  morrow 
will  be  anxious  for  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof."  As  a  matter  of  commonest  observation  and  ex- 
perience, we  weary  ourselves  with  climbing  mountains  of 
difficulty  to  which  we  never  actually  come.  The  worst  ills 
are  those  of  anticipation.  The  actual  emergency  somehow 
brings  with  it  a  certain  reenforcement  and  stiffening  of  spirit, 
sufficient  for  the  need.  But  the  imagined  and  foretasted 
evils  arc  the  ones  whose  ceaseless,  dragging  burden  wears 
out  one's  endurance  and  spoils  the  passing  days,  "As  thy 
days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be"  (Deut.  33:25)  is  an  old,  true 
promise  on  which  multitudes  have  rested  and  found  it  ful- 
filled. But  nowhere  is  strength  promised  to  enable  us  today 
to  bear  tomorrow's  burden,  with  an  added  load  of  anxious 
concern  for  a  long  vista  of  days  and  years  to  come.  A 
strong,  helpful  character  must  husband  its  own  resources 
economically,  not  waste  them  in  selfish  useless  fears  for  the 
future.  And  Jesus  demanded  this  firm,  reasonable  self- 
restraint  on  the  part  of  his  disciples,  so  that  they  might 
give  their  entire  force  to  the  business  of  the  hour. 

But  it  is  not  only  on  this  shrewd  common  sense  that  he 
relies  to  enforce  his  command.  He  grounds  it,  as  he  does 
all    his    commands,    on    the    realities    of    God's    will.     "Your 

119 


[VIII-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

Father  knows"  is  the  conviction  on  which  he  bids  them  rest, 
as  on  a  pillow  for  weary  heads  at  night.  He  evidently  has 
the  most  perfect  confidence  that  the  God  who  clothes  the 
flower  and  cares  for  the  sparrow  is  watchful  and  solicitous 
for  the  good  of  his  children,  so  that  men,  sharing  this  con- 
viction, may  truly  rest  in  the  Lord  and  wait  patiently  for 
him,  even  when  things  go  wrong.  Of  course,  what  he  is 
solicitous  to  secure  for  his  children  is  not  the  richest  food 
and  the  most  expensive  clothing,  it  is  not  the  greatest 
possible  amount  of  ease  and  comfort,  and  the  least  possible 
acquaintance  with  strain  and  hardship.  He  would  be  a 
poor  Father  were  he  as  fondly  weak  as  that.  He  knows  what 
we  need,  to  bring  out  the  best  that  is  in  us — not  only  the  best 
for  thirty  years  of  business  life  here  and  now,  but  the  best 
for  all  our  unmeasured  capacities  that  reach  out  into  the 
unknown. 

Even  here  in  this  world  of  cruel  forces  and  evil  men,  he 
is  concerned,  if  we  will  let  him,  to  make  all  things  work 
together  for  our  good,  as  he  did  for  his  Son,  Jesus.  So 
that,  if  we  believe  this,  we  may  stop  worrying  over  the 
future,  may  even  be  like  those  of  whom  it  was  said  long 
ago.  "Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is 
stayed  on  thee;  because  he  trusteth  in  thee"  (Isa.  26:3). 
Jesus  not  only  held  this  out  as  a  privilege,  but  even  solemnly 
enjoined  it  on  his  disciples  as  a  duty.  It  is  part  of  any 
strong,  true  character,  he  said,  by  trustful  peace  to  save  its 
energies   from   waste. 

H 

Nothing  in  the  range  of  human  experience  is  better  assured 
as  a  fact  and  not  a  fancy,  than  this  freedom  from  paralyzing 
fears  for  those  who  trust  in  the  God  of  Jesus,  Most  of  all 
was  it  evident  in  the  life  of  Jesus  himself.  H  anyone  will 
sit  down  and  rapidly  read  His  life-story  with  this  in  mind, 
he  will  be  impressed  anew  with  the  marvellous  self-mastery 
of  our  Lord  in  the  face  of  pitiless,  overhanging  tragedy. 

Most  of  us  know  something  of  the  tense  strain  of  over- 
wrought apprehension,  such  as  comes  when  we  face  some 
approaching  pain  or  sorrow,  like  that  of  a  surgical  operation. 
The  shadow  of  it,  many  days  in  advance,  makes  it  difficult 
for  us  to  break  away  from  our  self-absorption  in  the  pros- 

120 


.     EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE       [VIII-c] 

pect,  or  to  give  our  undivided  attention  to  our  friends.  What 
it  must  be  in  the  case  of  a  criminal  awaiting  death,  we  do 
not  like  to  think.  Jesus  saw  vividly  before  him  the  shame 
and  torture  and  loneliness  and  death,  overhanging  all  and 
advancing  relentlessly  day  by  day.  His  sensitive  spirit  must 
have  suffered  under  it  more  keenly  than  we  can  measure. 
But  even  up  to  the  last  night,  "having  loved  his  own  that 
were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end."  To  read 
the  story  of  that  last  evening,  with  its  quiet  thoughtfulness 
of  affection  for  his  friends,  is  to  wonder  at  his  calm,  all 
threaded  through  with  peace  and  joy.  He  was  not  numbed 
with  the  chill  of  fear;  he  was  not  even  anxious  for  the 
morrow.  All  that  there  was  of  him  was  at  his  disposal  still 
for  his  Father's  work.  There  was  no  wastage.  When  the 
moment  came,  and  the  onset  of  it  in  the  lonely  night  swept 
him  into  the  deep  waters,  he  struggled  desperately  as  any 
son  of  man  had  ever  done,  and  struggled  through,  with  his 
Father's  help,  to  peace  and  self-mastery  again,  to  live  out 
those  last  grim  hours  in  faith  and  love.  But  though  he 
was  a  Man  of  Sorrows,  he  lived  through  all  his  years  under 
the  blue  sky  of  his  Father's  comprehending  purpose  and 
sympathy. 

No  one  can  doubt  that,  to  him,  this  confidence  in  a  Father 
in  the  face  of  a  stormy  world  means  everything  or  nothing 
for  human  life.  It  is  not  to  be  taken,*  like  occasional  doses 
of  soothing  medicine,  at  times  of  acute  mental  disturbance 
when  some  sort  of  quieting  influence  is  clearly  indicated  as 
desirable.  H  Jesus  was  mistaken  in  his  lifelong  conviction 
as  to  the  reality  of  a  personal  God  and  Father,  then  obviously, 
if  we  are  honest,  we  shall  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  com- 
fort of  any '  overruling  Power,  wiser  and  more  loving  than 
our  earthly  parents.  It  is  not  for  us,  even  though  it  may 
have  been  the  consoling  light  behind  the  dark  for  ages.  But 
if  Jesus  was  right,  if  his  trust  in  God  was  not  a  treacherous 
delusion,  then  what  does  it  not  mean  to  those  who  take  his 
word  as  truth !  Today  and  tomorrow,  through  lonely  years 
or  sickness,  in  death  as  well  as  in  joy,  and  illimitably  beyond 
death's  brief  interruption,  "If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be 
against  us?"  So  that  we  may  boldly  say,  "The  Lord  is  my 
helper,  I  will  not  fear." 

This  great,  sustaining  buttress  of  a  courageously  unselfish 


[VIII-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

character,  the  only  Christian  character,  rests  squarely  on 
faith.  It  was  a  faith  that  in  the  case  of  Jesus,  where  it  was 
applied,  so  to  speak,  with  a  hundred  per  cent  of  efficiency, 
worked  out  into  the  supremely  perfect  life — the  crowning 
development  in  human  evolution.  Jesus  bids  us  to  be  with- 
out fear,  to  go  in  peace,  by  virtue  of  this  same  faith.  Judging 
by  its  fruits,  these  nineteen  hundred  years,  we  may  safely 
venture  to  claim  for  ourselves  the  fearlessness  and  courage 
of  a  quiet  he^rt. 

Ill 

"What  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and 
lose  or  forfeit  his  own  self?"  That  is  the  way  Jesus  sums 
up  the  whole  argument  between  covetousness  and  love.  As 
always,  he  is  thinking  of  the  great  future — or  the  endless 
present — of  one  whom  God  has  made  for  Himself.  What 
conceivable  abundance  of  things  could  one  gather  about  him- 
self here  for  a  few  years,  that  would  counterbalance  in  its 
satisfactions  the  blank  loss  of  himself  and  his  very  capacity 
for  joy?  Of  course,  when  it  is  put  as  Jesus  put  it,  the 
question  is  unanswerable.  Life  is  what  we  all  want,  and  not 
a  pile  of  heavy  baggage  that  we  can  carry  only  half  way  on 
our  journey.  As  Jesus  said  unanswerably,  "A  man's  life 
consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  pos- 
sesseth." 

And  yet  while  Jesus'  argument  is  for  most  of  us  thoroughly 
unanswerable,  how  few  it  has  convinced  in  practice,  from 
that  far-off  day  to  this!  Probably  more  people  are  yielding 
assent  to  it  today  than  ever  in  the  world  before,  because 
so  many  have  ceased  to  be  satisfied  with  conventional  religion 
and  are  seeking  earnestly  to  know  what  Jesus  himself  really 
wanted  men  to  do.  The  traditional  religion  of  the  creeds 
yields  at  best  a  rather  dubious  sociological  program ;  but  the 
religion  of  Jesus  goes  straight  as  an  arrow  to  its  mark,  in 
fundamental  social  questions.  He  lived  a  life  and  taught  a 
life  that  gives  covetousness  hardly  a  foothold  or  a  handhold 
in  human  character.  His  scale  of  values  is  such  that  one 
who  honestly  follows  after  him  is  looking  in  quite  a  different 
direction  from  that  of  money-making.  To  be  sure,  he  will 
have  to  make  money  if  he  is  to  live ;  he  will  have  to  put 
energy  into  his  work,  also;  and  if  he  does  this  he  is  likely 

122 


.     EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE       [VIII-c] 

to  get  ahead  in  the  race.  He  may  even  have  as  his  special 
aim  the  winning  of  wealth  for  the  unselfish  uses  of  the 
Kingdom.  But  he  cannot  breathe  the  same  spiritual  air  as 
Jesus,  or  look  out  on  the  same  horizons,  and  yet  live  for 
the  sake  of  piling  up  possessions,  especially  at  the  expense 
of  others.  The  spirit  of  his  Master  and  of  his  Father  are 
in  him,  and  what  that  spirit  is,  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus 
clearly  show. 

Now  the  world  of  today  is  groping  in  almost  an  agony  of 
desire  for  anything  that  can  really  overthrow  the  power  of 
greed  and  envy  and  suspicion.  There  is  no  hope  in  auto- 
cratic militarism;  there  is  just  as  little  hope  at  the  opposite 
end  of  the  scale  in  anarchistic  socialism.  Both  lead  to  chaos 
and  death.  The  people  of  China,  as  much  as  those  of  Russia 
or  Austria,  are  just  now  in  the  acutest  need  of  some  power 
that  can  make  justice  and  benevolence  actually  triumphant 
in  the  State,  and  France  and  America  and  Italy  also  can 
find  their  ultimate  social  salvation  only  in  deliverance  from 
the  cruel  covetousness  of  men,  whether  bourgeois  or  prole- 
tarian. 

Jesus  alone  opens  this  door  of  hope  on  mankind,  not  only 
because  he  gave  himself  unreservedly  to  the  glorious  ministry 
of  love,  but  because  he  dedicates  all  his  followers — all  the 
men  and  women  and  children  who  should  ever  hear  his 
words  and  do  them — to  the  same  life  of  obedience  to  their 
Father's  will.  He  does  not  suddenly  make  them  all  saints, 
because  we  are  what  we  are,  intractable  stuff  at  best  for 
divine  uses,  but  he  opens  their  eyes  at  once  to  a  new  range 
of  values  and  a  new  standard  of  ambitions. 


IV 

In  the  common  room  of  Magdalene  College,  Cambridge, 
two  portraits  hang  on  the  wall,  facing  each  other  across  the 
table,  portraits  of  two  men  who  shared  the  zest  of  life  to 
the  fullest  and  who  fought  hard  for  life's  prizes.  One  is 
of  Pepys — sleek,  satisfied,  kindly,  sensuous ;  a  man  who 
cheerfully  tried  to  skim  the  cream  off  life's  surface  for  him- 
self and  measurably  succeeded.  The  other  is  of  Charles 
Kingsley,  who  also  delighted  in  life  beyond  most  men,  but 
whose  heart  burned  like  a  flame  in  sympathy  with  the  wrongs 

123 


[VIII-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

and  sorrows  of  the  poor,  and  who  gave  himself  like  his 
Master  in  generous  devotion  to  all  who  needed  him.  And 
his  face,  lined  with  love  and  pain,  is  of  one  who  looked 
ineffably  far  beyond  the  getting  and  spending  of  life's 
pleasures. 

It  is  not  so  much  that  one  man  had  a  different  philosophy 
from  the  other,  though  this  was  true,  as  that  one  man  lived 
in  the  closest  contact  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and  the  other 
instinctively  avoided  any  contact  with  him  more  intimate  than 
that  of  formal  religion.  But  the  world  today,  in  its  present 
mood,  recognizes  in  good-natured  Pepys  the  despair  of 
society  and  in  Charles  Kingsley,  with  all  his  limitations,  the 
power  that  can  lift  it  out  of  its  despair. 

Jesus  directed  men's  attention  away  from  the  slow  accu- 
mulation of  property  to  the  life  that  satisfies.  He  actually 
persuaded  them  that  for  one  to  be  rich  toward  God  was  to 
be  the  happy  man  and  fortunate.  To  lay  up  treasure  in 
heaven  by  love  and  service  was  to  have  one's  thoughts  steal- 
ing away  to  God,  instead  of  to  the  safe-deposit  vault  and 
the  greetings  in  the  marketplace.  He  made  men  feel  that  in 
the  family  of  God  we  are  all  dependent  upon  one  another 
for  our  true  development,  and  our  interests  bind  us  closely 
together  and  to  Him. 

It  is  not  good  for  a  man  to  be  freed  from  this  sense  of 
a  genuine  interdependence  of  friendly,  mutual  responsibility 
and  obligation.  But  one  of  the  first  and  most  obvious  effects 
of  wealth  is  to  isolate  a  man  from  his  fellows.  It  not  only 
makes  them  look  at  him  with  envy  or  suspicion,  but  it  tends 
to  make  him  feel  himself  their  superior,  and  to  show,  it  may 
be  unconsciously,  the  masterfulness  or  the  condescension  of 
the  man  of  power  toward  one  who  is  the  mere  pawn  of  in- 
dustry. His  wife  and  daughters  speedily  become  too  refined 
to  notice  socially  the  womenfolk  of  a  workingman,  such  as 
Jesus  was,  and  in  a  space  of  time  ridiculously  short — much 
less  than  a  generation — a  gulf  is  fixed  between  the  man  with 
money  and  the  man  with  only  a  laborer's  wages. 

One  of  the  great  lessons  of  the  War,  never  to  be  un- 
learned, has  shown  how  quickly  and  how  naturally  men  of 
different  social  standing  are  drawn  together  in  brotherly 
friendship  in  the  trenches,  where  the  adventitious  inequalities 
of  wealth  and  family  are  suddenly  removed.     Thousands  of 

124 


EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE      [VIII-c] 

young  fellows  in  the  ranks,  who  otherwise  would  never  have 
exchanged  more  than  an  indifferent  stare,  have  come  to  feel 
in  the  presence  of  common  duty  or  danger  the  genuine 
brotherhood  of  all  brave  true  hearts.  It  has  been  a  revela- 
tion at  once  of  our  common  kinship  in  God's  family,  and  of 
the  cruel  artificialities  of  a  society  disordered  by  undue  re- 
spect for  wealth. 

The  Christian  character,  so  far  as  it  is  Christian,  shares 
the  mind  of  its  Master  at  this  point.  It  perceives  without 
argument  that  it  must  be  free  from  that  love  of  money  that 
lays  waste  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  Jeers  of  ironical- 
laughter  might  well  salute  such  a  statement  were  it  made 
concerning  the  visible  Church.  In  many  lands  the  love  of 
money  has  well-nigh  made  its  very  name  a  mockery.  What 
Christendom  has  been,  all  men  know !  Nevertheless,  the 
ancient  words  of  the  Master  still  sound  clear.  The  fiery 
message  of  his  love  and  of  his  cross  has  not  changed  by  a 
hair's  breadth  from  its  first  trumpet-call  for  self-denial  be- 
cause God  himself  is  love.  Whenever  the  thoughts  of  men 
come  back  humbly  and  obediently  to  Jesus  Christ,  they  find 
him  still  waiting  to  deliver  society  from  the  curse  of  covet- 
ousness,  summoning  all  mankind  to  the  life  of  genuine 
brotherhood. 

The  time  of  fierce  testing  is  now  close  upon  the  Church 
once  more.  The  millions  from  the  camps  and  trenches  are 
coming  back  among  us,  to  take  up  the  old  lines  of  business 
and  industrial  life.  But  they  will  never  take  them  up  with 
full  acceptance  of  the  old  order,  where  the  privileges  and 
opportunities  go  as  a  matter  of  right  to  the  children  of  the 
well-to-do,  and  the  grinding  monotony  of  the  factory  and 
the  tenement  remains  as  a  matter  of  course  the  inheritance 
of  the  poor.  Never  again  will  it  be  a  matter  of  course,  as 
it  has  been.  And  our  Lord  waits,  as  it  were,  to  see  how  his 
followers  will  help  on  the  better  day — whether  they  will 
help  it  on  at  all,  or  will  resent  even  the  suggestion  that  the 
children  of  the  "hunky"  and  the  "dago"  should  have  arj; 
equal  opportunity  with  their  own.  There  will  be  bitterness 
and  folly  on  both  sides.  It  will  be  easy  to  lose  patience  and 
to  lose  hope.  All  sorts  of  leadership  in  the  contest  will  break 
down,  from  that  of  Karl  Marx  to  the  latest  doctrinaire.  But 
the  leadership  of  love  will  not  break  down  nor  fail  its  fol- 

125 


[VIII-c]  BUILDING   ON   ROCK 

lowers,  and  that  perfect  leadership  is  found  in  deed  and  in 
^ruth  in  Jesus  Christ. 

V 

If  one  would  have  a  reason  why  real  Christianity  is  not 
more  popular  in  the  world,  he  will  find  one  of  the  reasons 
in  the  uncompromising  demand  of  Jesus  for  purity  of  life 
and  thought.  His  ideal  of  character  in  this  respect  is  not 
that  of  the  average  man  on  the  street,  nor  of  the  world  of 
art  and  letters  in  our  day  or  any  other.  It  precipitates  one 
into  the  old  warfare  between  culture  and  self-restraint.  Jesus 
demands  a  self-restraint  that  for  many  a  man  of  ardent 
temperament  must  be  inflexible  as  iron,  if  it  is  to  serve  its 
purpose.  He  would  have  a  man  remember,  not,  apologetically 
and  excusingly,  that  his  physical  ancestors  are  not  long  down 
off  the  tree,  but,  proudly  and  confidently,  that  the  Father 
of  his  spirit  is  God,  and  that  he  must  somehow  get  through 
God's  world  with  all  its  bewilderingly  voluptuous  appeals 
cleanly  and  honorably,  for  his  own  sake,  and  his  brother's 
sake,  for  the  sake  of  his  sister,  too,  and  for  the  sake  of  God. 

This  means  that  he  must  have  certain  set  principles  and 
habits  of  mind  and  action  that  are  sternly  unyielding.  It 
means  that,  knowing  himself,  and  knowing  the  type  of  appeals 
and  suggestions  that  pierce  like  arrows,  that  burn  like  fire, 
that  rob  him  of  his  self-control,  he  should  make  it  the  un- 
flinching habit  of  his  life  to  avoid  them  so  far  as  he  may 
reasonably  do.  It  means  that  he  should  not  deliberately 
subject  himself  to  temptation,  but  make  a  resolute  and  un- 
wavering fight,  lifelong  if  need  be,  against  the  influences 
that  corrupt  and  shame  and  unfit  him  for  the  high-souled, 
keen  endeavor  that  he  ought  to  be  able  to  render  to  his  Lord. 

In  doing  this  he  will  find  that  he  has  turned  to  breast 
a  current  of  popular  opinion  so  overwhelming  as  to  be  well- 
nigh  irresistible.  By  some  of  the  highest  and  most  intel- 
lectual as  well  as  by  some  of  the  lowest  and  basest  elements 
in  modern  society,  he  will  find  himself  assailed  with  stinging 
epithets,  as  Jesus  was — fool  and  fanatic,  Philistine,  Puritan, 
and  prude ;  he  will  wonder  whether  he  is  really  playing  the 
game,  or  whether  he  is  running  away  from  what  no  all- 
round  man  should  try  to  shun.  The  devil  will  come  to  him 
and  whisper  that  to  the  pure  all  things  are  pure,  even  when 

126 


,     EVILS  THAT  LAY  WASTE  LIFE       [VIII-c] 

the  salacious  play  at  which  he  is  asked  to  look  fairly  drips 
with  indecency. 

Only  one  thing  will  unfailingly  steady  him  and  keep  him 
true  at  every  stage  of  the  long  fight,  and  that  is  the  sight 
of  Jesus,  and  an  honest  acceptance  of  his  ideals.  Then  he 
will  always  have  before  him  the  true  glory  of  a  man — not 
the  base,  pinchbeck  culture  of  the  man  of  the  world,  who 
has  seen  life  and  knows  it  all,  the  culture  that  for  all  its 
emancipation  leads  down  and  back  again  to  the  long  night 
from  which  society  lias  been  emerging,  but  the  glory  of  him 
who  overcomes  one  of  our  fiercest  enemies,  and  by  so  much 
helps  to  make  life  sweet  and  sacred  and  by  his  clean  manhood 
gives  courage  to  the  faint.  Jesus  came  that  men  might  have 
life — not  the  night  life  of  a  great  city,  that  bubbles  and  festers 
in  the  dark,  but  the  life  that  flows  pure  from  its  source  in 
God,  and  flows  on  in  turn,  as  Jesus  said,  in  rivers  of  living 
water  from  the  man  who  believes  in  him. 

It  is  true  that  in  the  old,  evil  days  of  decadent  Rome,  when 
Christianity  was  still  at  close  grips  with  heathenism,  society 
was  full  of  evils  shocking  for  a  sensitive  soul  to  see;  and 
many  of  the  truest  disciples  of  Jesus  thought  to  follow  him 
better  by  shunning  altogether  the  sights  and  sounds  that 
appealed  clamorously  to  the  senses.  This  they  could  do  only 
by  quitting  society  altogether.  And  they  became  quitters. 
They  renounced  and  resigned  the  common  joys  of  men,  and 
hid  themselves  away  in  the  deserts  and  lonely  places,  where 
only  the  faintest  ripples  of  passionate  life  from  the  stormy 
sea  outside  could  reach  their  sheltered  inlet.  It  was  one 
of  the  many  terrible  blunders  into  which  the  inexperience 
of  the  early  disciples  led  them.  Jesus  was  no  quittef,  even 
for  the  sake  of  the  unruffled  calm  of  a  religious  life.  He 
came  to  send  not  peace,  but  a  sword,  in  the  face  of  the 
world's  evils. 

This  we  understand.  It  is  not  the  part  of  a  Christian  to 
dodge  or  creep  away  from  anything  that  his  duty  requires 
him  to  meet,  whether  fascinating  or  repugnant,  or  to  re- 
nounce any  normal  joy  that  is  the  good  gift  of  God  to  men. 
The  self-denial  that  is  required  of  us  is  not  that  of  shutting 
our  eyes  to  anything  God  would  have  us  see,  or  of  refusing 
any  exquisite  delight  he  would  have  us  share.  Our  work 
may  call  us  to  pass  through  some  strange  associations,  and 

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tVIII-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

the  glamor  of  them  may  be  subtly  demoralizing.  But  our 
Lord  will  be  with  us  in  all  the  daily  round,  and  in  his  bracing 
company  we  might  even  live  and  work  in  the  streets  of 
Vanity  Fair  and  take  no  evil. 

That  is  the  test  of  safety  and  loyalty  for  a  strong  man — 
to  indulge  himself  in  nothing  that  he  must  consciously  break 
step  with  his  Master  to  enjoy.  If  he  and  we  can,  so  to  speak, 
face  in  company  life's  sensuous  appeals — well  and  good !  But 
the  character  built  on  rock  is  one  that  for  God's  sake  keeps 
stern  guard  over  a  clean  heart,  and  lays  its  plans  and  shapes 
its  habits  for  an  unsleeping  self-restraint. 


128 


CHAPTER   IX 

The   Duty  of  Prayer 

DAILY  READINGS 

Probably  some  of  us  would  not  consider  the  habit  of 
prayer  essential  to  the  highest  character.  We  are  likely  to 
regard  it  as  a  sort  of  an  extra,  or  an  accomplishment  in  the 
Christian  life,  not  necessary  for  the  average  man  but  suited 
to  people  of  a  pious  or  strongly  religious  temper.  We  may 
turn  to  prayer  instinctively  in  an  emergency,  but  we  do  not 
feel  the  need  of  it  or  even  see  much  place  for  it  in  the  every- 
day life  of  the  ordinary  person.  Moreover,  we  are  not  sure 
how  far  it  is  a  reality,  and  the  whole  subject  is  clouded  in 
these  days  with  much  perplexity. 

If  we  are  to  leave  it  thus  on  one  side,  we  have  no  choice 
but  to  leave  Jesus  on  one  side  also  as  a  spiritual  guide.  With 
him  it  was  of  primary  importance.  He  not  only  included  it 
among  his  commands,  but  gave  it  a  position  of  prominence 
hardly  exceeded  by  any  other  duty  of  life.  And  his  frequent 
emphasis  upon  its  necessity  for  right  living  is  only  a  reflec- 
tion of  his  own  experience.  He  found  it  necessary  for  him- 
self and  won  his  personal  victory  with  its  aid. 

We  are  compelled,  therefore,  to  give  it  a  leading  place  in 
any  discussion  such  as  this,  dealing  with  character  based  upon 
his  teaching.  We  count  him  a  specialist  in  the  art  of  noble 
living.  His  insight  into  spiritual  realities  was  keener  than 
that  of  any  other  human  teacher.  It  worked  out  in  his  own 
life  with  marvelous  results  of  strength  and  beauty.  We  take 
his  judgment  in  the  matter,  then,  as  one  of  unrivaled  au- 
thority. We  are  not  now  concerned  with  the  views  of  the 
latest  writer  on  psychology  or  philosophy,  whose  opinions  in 
twenty  years   will  have  ceased  to  be  of   interest.     We  are 

129 


[IX-i]  BUILDING    ON  ROCK 

sitting  at  the  feet  of  the  unchallenged  Master,  and  look  to 
see  what  he  thought  about  the  place  of  prayer  in  the  life 
of  humanity. 

Ninth  Week,  First  Day 

And  in  the  morning,  a  great  while  before  day,  he  rose 
up  and  went  out,  and  departed  into  a  desert  place,  and 
there  prayed.  And  Simon  and  they  that  were  with  him 
followed  after  him;  and  they  found  him,  and  say  unto 
him.  All  are  seeking  thee.  And  he  saith  unto  them.  Let 
us  go  elsewhere  into  the  next  towns,  that  I  may  preach 
there  also;  for  to  this  end  came  I  forth. — Mark  1:35-38. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  these  days,  that  he  went  out 
into  the  mountain  to  pray;  and  he  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to  God.  And  when  it  was  day,  he  called  his 
disciples;  and  he  chose  from  them  twelve,  whom  also  he 
named  apostles. — Luke  6:12,  13. 

It  is  natural  that  we  should  turn  first  to  Jesus'  own  ex- 
ample. The  force  of  his  commands  would  be  greatly  re- 
enforced  if  we  found  that  they  grew  out  of  his  personal 
experience.  If  that  perfect  character  of  his  was  the  out- 
growth of  a  life  of  prayer,  it  would  be  the  strongest  possible 
argument  for  the  reasonableness  and  efficacy  of  such  a  habit. 
It  is  unthinkable  that  we  should  be  superior  to  the  need  of 
a  support  which  he  found  indispensable.  If  any  man  ever 
lived  for  whom  definite  times  of  prayer  were  unnecessary, 
that  man  was  Jesus.  We  might  justly  say  that,  for  him,  to 
labor  was  to  pray.  He  lived  in  harmony  with  his  Father's 
will,  and  would  seem  to  have  had  no  need  to  trouble  himself 
with  special  efforts  to  secure  his  Father's  attention  or  win 
his  sympathy.  All  excuses  we  make  for  our  own  indif- 
ference to  prayer  could  be  made  with  far  more  weight  for 
him. 

And  yet  when  he  was  most  busy  and  most  in  need  of  rest, 
he  took  the  hours  that  belonged  to  sleep,  in  order  to  talk 
with  God  alone.  His  sense  of  need  constrained  him.  The 
reality  of  the  help  of  prayer  was  a  greater  refreshment  than 
sleep.  The  moral  triumph  that  he  won,  he  won  by  its  aid. 
And  where  he  led  the  way  he  bids  his  disciples  follow. 

Unless  Jesus  was  quite  deceived,  I  am  wasting   the  very 

130 


THE  DUTY   OF  PRAYER  [IX-2] 

power  out  of  which  victory  is  won,  if  I  allow  doubts  as  to 
the  theory  of  prayer  to  rob  me  meantime  of  spiritual  contact 
zvith  God. 


Ninth  Week,  Second  Day 

But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thine  inner 
chamber,  and  having  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father 
who  is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  shall 
recompense  thee. — Matt.  6:6. 

Jesus  puts  the  duty  of  prayer  in  the  simplest  and  most 
uncompromising  language  possible,  "Pray  to  thy  Father." 
He  seems  to  have  assumed  that  it  was  something  that  all 
men  would  wish  to  do  at  times,  and,  indeed,  probably  all 
those  to  whom  he  spoke  would  have  agreed  with  him.  But 
even  if  he  were  speaking  to  the  atheistic  Bolsheviki  of  our 
day,  or  to  those  who  are  so  one-sidedly  cultured  as  to  find 
no  place  for  so  quaint  a  survival  as  prayer,  it  is  likely  that 
he  would  use  the  same  language,  with  a  deeper  earnestness 
of  pity  and  invitation.  It  is  his  Gospel,  on  which  he  stands 
or  falls  as  a  religious  leader,  that  all  men  may  have  a 
gracious  hearing  with  the  infinite  Father  of  our  spirits — the 
men  who  work  in  the  mines,  who  lounge  in  the  parlors  of 
our  fashionable  clubs,  who  pasture  their  herds  on  the  Mon- 
golian plateau.  Their  very  need,  both  in  their  trouble  and 
their  ill-desert,  makes  him  attentive  to  their  call,  and  his  ear 
is  not  heavy  that  he  cannot  hear.  It  was  not  a  new  message, 
but  Jesus  wonderfully  brought  it  home  to  men's  attention, 
both  by  word  and  life. 

In  the  passage  for  today  he  draws  this  unforgettable 
picture  of  the  man  who  seeks  to  pray,  getting  away  from  his 
business  and  the  crowd,  going  in  to  his  inner  room,  shutting 
out  the  world,  and  there,  in  that  loneliness  and  silence,  talking 
heart  to  heart  with  Him  who  loves  him  and  made  him  for 
Himself. 

In  the  lonely  night  when  you  cannot  sleep,  when  perhaps 
you  are  in  anxiety  or  pain,  then  in  a  moment  it  will  be  true 
that  God  and  you  arc  there  together  in  the  silent  room,  and 
you  will  be  telling  him  your  need. 

131 


[IX-3]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

Ninth  Week,  Third  Day 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find; 
knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you:  for  every  one 
that  asketh  receiveth;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth;  and 
to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  Or  what  man 
is  there  of  you,  who,  if  his  son  shall  ask  him  for  a  loaf, 
will  give  him  a  stone;  or  if  he  shall  ask  for  a  fish,  will 
give  him  a  serpent?  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more 
shall  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  give  good  things  to 
them  that  ask  him? — Matt.  7:7-11. 

"Ask  and  ye  shall  receive,"  This  is  one  of  the  mountain 
peaks  of  Christian  teaching.  It  stands  up  superbly  clear 
above  all  the  drifting  clouds  of  theory  and  discussion.  It 
does  not  argue  or  qualify ;  it  calmly  affirms.  Whoever  is 
sure  that  he  knows  better  may  deny ;  but  he  will  never 
persuade  more  than  a  sm.all  circle  that  he  is  wiser  than  Jesus. 
The  truth  is  somehow  lodged  among  the  indestructible  in- 
stincts of  humanity,  pagan  or  Christian.  You  will  find 
almost  these  same  words  on  votive  tablets  in  myriads  of 
Chinese  temples,  telling  how  needy  souls  have  cast  themselves 
on  Heaven  to  find,  as  they  believed,  response, 

Jesus  put  this  instinctive  hope  into  the  clearest  language, 
and  made  plain  the  reasons  for  his  confidence.  We  are  not 
orphaned  or  alone  here  amid  the  physical  environment  of 
earth.  Our  Father  is  "touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  in- 
firmities." He  welcomes  our  childlike  confidence  in  his 
sympathy  and  love.  And  bow  any  little  child  can  walk  a 
dangerous  way  in  company  with  his  father  and  never  turn 
to  hmi  for  help  or  direction,  passes  one's  understanding. 
Any  philosophy  of  prayer  that  denies  or  obscures  the  rela- 
tionship of  a  true  filial  dependence  is  not  Christian.  Any 
character  that  seeks  to  build  itself  up  out  of  the  sufficiency 
of  its  own  resources,  is  not  a  character  of  Jesus'  moulding. 
He  finds  in  prayer  the  force  that  keeps  us  ever  turning  back 
to  God ;  even  our  pain  and  sin  and  failure  serve  to  draw  us 
more  longingly  to  Him. 

It  is  our  privilege  to  quote  this  promise  times  without 
number,  if  need  be,  as  our  warrant  for  casting  ourselves  on 
God  for  help;  and  times  without  number  we  shall  thank  Him 
for  lifting  up  our  heads. 

132 


THE   DUTY   OF  PRAYER  [IX-4] 

Ninth  Week,  Fourth  Day 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Which  of  you  shall  have  a 
friend,  and  shall  go  unto  him  at  midnight,  and  say  to 
him.  Friend,  lend  me  three  loaves;  for  a  friend  of  mine 
is  come  to  me  from  a  journey,  and  I  have  nothing  to  set 
before  him;  and  he  from  within  shall  answer  and  say, 
Trouble  me  not:  the  door  is  now  shut,  and  my  children 
are  with  me  in  bed;  I  cannot  rise  and  give  thee?  I  say 
unto  you.  Though  he  will  not  rise  and  give  him  because 
he  is  his  friend,  yet  because  of  his  importunity  he  will 
arise  and  give  him  as  many  as  he  needeth. — Luke  11:5-8. 

In  nothing  be  anxious;  but  in  everything  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be 
made  known  unto  God.  And  the  peace  of  God,  which 
passeth  all  understanding,  shall  guard  your  hearts  and 
your  thoughts  in  Christ  Jesus. — Phil.  4:6,  7. 

The  ease  of  mind  that  comes  from  reverently  making  God 
a  confidant  in  matters  great  or  small  is  much  more  than  a 
mere  spiritual  luxury;  it  is  a  constructive  element  in  noblest 
living.  We  have  all  met  those  who  have  spent  their  lives 
unselfishly  for  many  years — it  may  be  a  mother  at  home  or  a 
Salvation  Army  worker  in  the  city — whose  faces  are  like  a 
benediction  in  their  peacefulness.  Does  anyone  suppose  it 
is  by  accident  that  this  type  of  countenance  belongs  so  con- 
spicuously to  those  who  have  leaned  hard  on  God  through 
life's  difficult  places?  Rather  is  it  the  unmistakable  hand- 
writing of  obedience  to  Jesus'  bidding,  as  given  in  this  pas- 
sage. He  urges  a  childlike  simplicity  in  availing  oneself  of 
God's  unfailing  readiness  to  help,  in  accordance  with  the 
old  assurance,  ''Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord  and  he  shall 
sustain  thee." 

It  would  almost  seem  as  though  Jesus  must  have  had  in 
mind  the  objection  so  often  heard  today,  coming  from  an 
over-refinement  of  delicacy  about  troubling  God  with  our 
trivial  affairs,  that  we  should  not  worry  the  Almighty  about 
the  insignificant  littlenesses  of  our  daily  life.  Here  again 
we  have  to  choose  between  the  advice  of  Jesus  and  the  advice 
of  those  who  come  between  us  and  him.  He  knew  how 
trivial  were  even  the  largest  interests  of  a  peasant  home, 
and  yet  he  spoke  this  parable,  urging  those  present  hearers 
to  commit  their  needs  more  fearlessly  and  trustfully  to  God. 

133 


[IX-5]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

O  Lord,  help  us  to  venture  confidently  upon  the  sympathy 
of  our  Father,  bringing  to  him  our  daily  needs  and  perils, 
that  we  may  be  better  equipped  for  every  good  work. 

Ninth  Week,  Fifth  Day 

Simon,  Simon,  behold,  Satan  asked  to  have  you,  that 
he  might  sift  you  as  wheat:  but  I  made  supplication  for 
thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not;  and  do  thou,  when  once  thou 
hast  turned  again,  establish  thy  brethren.  And  he  said 
unto  him.  Lord,  with  thee  I  am  ready  to  go  both  to 
prison  and  to  death.  And  he  said,  I  tell  thee,  Peter,  the 
cock  shall  not  crow  this  day,  until  thou  shalt  thrice  deny 
that  thou  knowest  me. — Luke  22:31-34. 

Here  is  an  example  from  our  Lord's  life  of  one  kind  of 
prayer,  prayer  for  others.  How  many  of  us  who  are  reading 
these  words  would  be  what  we  are  today  if  it  were  not  for 
the  prayers  of  our  fathers  and  mothers?  They  have  been 
an  unobserved  but  encompassing  influence  about  us  daily  for 
many  years.  We  cannot  guess  how  much  they  have  had  to 
do  with  what  we  are.  What  they  have  done  for  us,  we  in 
our  turn  are  to  do  for  others.  The  highest  type  of  character 
would  seem  to  be  that  which  is  most  efficient  in  its  helpful- 
ness for  others,  and  Jesus  sets  forth  this  efficiency  of  inter- 
cession that  should  belong  to  those  who  follow  him.  He 
did  the  most  he  could  for  Peter  at  a  certain  crisis  of  Peter's 
life,  by  praying  for  him. 

We  simply  cannot  help  sharing  in  this  form  of  ministry 
if  we  are  deeply  seized  with  our  Lord's  spirit.  The  trouble 
is  that  we  are  generally  too  indifferent  and  too  lazy  to  make 
this  effort  for  our  friends'  good.  We  are  not  enough  con- 
cerned for  their  welfare,  and  we  shrink  from  the  concen- 
trated effort  of  such  a  labor  on  their  behalf.  To  offer  them 
sympathy,  to  jolly  them  up,  to  spend  on  them  time  or  money, 
is  easy  enough.  But  to  pray  for  them  in  their  time  of  need ! 
We  avoid  it  and  the  thought  of  it,  just  as  we  shrink  naturally 
from  any  task  that  demands  a  difficult  concentration  of 
thought  and  will. 

Often  there  is  no  other  avenue  than  this  by  which  we  can 
give  any  aid  to  a  friend  who  is  struggling  with  temptation. 

134 


THE   DUTY   OF  PRAYER  [IX-6] 

Should  we  stand  helpless  at  such  a  time  if  zcr  heeded  Jesus' 
words  about  prayer? 

Ninth  Week,  Sixth  Day 

After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye:  Our  Father  who 
art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom 
come.  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earth.  Give 
us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  us  our  debts, 
as  we  also  have  forgiven  our  debtors.  And  bring  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  the  evil  one. — Matt. 
6:9-13. 

What  do  we  know  about  what  Jesus  would  really  have 
men  pray  for,  day  by  day — ordinary  men,  farmers  and  fisher- 
men, and  women  in  their  homes  ?  What  did  he  expect  them 
to  talk  about  with  God?  Here  are  the  beginnings  of  an 
answer,  in  this  brief  fragment  that  he  taught  his  disciples. 
It  has  a  place  in  it  for  food  and  clothing  and  the  everyday 
wants  that  bulk  so  terribly  in  the  lives  of  the  poor,  and  for 
forgiveness  and  help  and  deliverance  also.  Jesus  is  not 
ashamed  of  any  of  these,  as  fit  to  claim  God's  notice.  But 
before  all  else  he  turns  men's  thoughts  to  the  great  ambitions 
that  transfigure  the  humble  lot  of  those  who  seem  hemmed 
in  to  petty  things. 

"Our  Father"  first  of  all !  That  is  indeed  'Very  good," 
as  Little  Joe  said.  Then  comes  a  child's  prayer  for  his 
father's  honor,  "May  thy  name  be  kept  holy."  There  fol- 
lows that  brave,  splendid,  fighting  prayer,  that  is  the  heart 
of  the  whole  passage,  "Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be 
done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven."  It  is  not  a  passive  utter- 
ance of  resignation ;  it  is  the  triumphant  anticipation  of  a 
victory  wide  as  humanity,  and  of  the  end  of  the  long  cam- 
paign, after  battles  and  changes  and  overturnings  past  num- 
bering, the  triumph  of  God's  love.  It  is  a  prayer  like  war 
music,  making  the  blood  thrill.  It  is  a  soldier's  prayer  for 
every  day.  around  which  to  build  one's  life. 

"Thy  kingdom  come"  is  like  the  great  drive-wheel  that 
keeps  in  balanced  movement  all  the  complex  machinery  of 
our  hearts'  desires.  Are  we  fretted  and  depressed  by  irritat- 
ing cares?  Again  and  again  and  again,  as  we  lift  up  our 
eyes  to  the  great  petition  Jesus  gave  us,  our  lives   fall  into 

135 


[IX-7]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

order   and   peace,   and   our    selfish   pride   sinks   out   of    sight 
in  that  divine  consecration. 

Great  praying  makes  great  living,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer 
gives  an  infinite  outreach  to  the  daily  wants  we  bring  to  God. 

Ninth  Week,  Seventh  Day 

Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called 
Gethsemane,  and  saith  unto  his  disciples,  Sit  ye  here, 
while  I  go  yonder  and  pray.  And  he  took  with  him  Peter 
and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  began  to  be  sorrowful 
and  sore  troubled.  Then  saith  he  unto  them,  My  soul  is 
exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death:  abide  ye  here,  and 
watch  with  me.  And  he  went  forward  a  little,  and  fell 
on  his  face,  and  prayed,  saying.  My  Father,  if  it  be  pos- 
sible, let  this  cup  pass  away  from  me:  nevertheless,  not 
as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt.  And  he  cometh  unto  the 
disciples,  and  findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith  unto  Peter, 
What,  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour?  Watch 
and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation:  the  spirit 
indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak.  Again  a  second 
time  he  went  away,  and  prayed,  saying,  My  Father,  if 
this  cannot  pass  away,  except  I  drink  it,  thy  will  be  done. 
— Matt.  26:36-42. 

"Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  thee,  O  Lord.  Lord, 
hear  my  voice."  Here  is  our  Lord  himself  passing  through 
the  deep  waters,  and  crying  for  deliverance  from  his  distress. 
Surely  his  Father  heard  his  voice ;  but  he  did  not  save  him 
from  Pilate's  hall,  or  the  pillar  of  scourging,  or  the  shameful 
hill  of  execution.  He  answered  his  prayer  with  strength 
sufficient  to  go  forward  unafraid,  hour  by  hour,  till  the  dread 
day  was  done.  He  gave  him  not  escape,  but  glorious  victory, 
which  is  what  a  true  man  most  desires. 

And  so  our  Lord  taught  us  vividly,  not  by  word  but  by 
life  example,  how  he  would  have  us  pray — not  in  the  way 
of  contesting  God's  will,  or  seeking  to  bend  it  to  our  pur- 
poses, but  of  seeking  strength  and  faith  enough  to  make 
His  will  our  own,  and  accomplish  what  He  has  given  us 
to  do. 

We  do  not  have  to  think  very  long  to  see  that  the  only 
safe  way  for  us  to  choose  in  life  is  the  way  in  which  He 
would  have  us  go.     The   only   thing  we  surely  want  is  the 

136 


THE   DUTY   OF  PRAYER  [IX-c] 

thing  our  Father  is  wanting  to  give  us.  Death  or  life,  joy 
or  sorrow,  we  most  want  what  his  wise  love  would  bring. 
And  so  we  learn  to  say.  Thy  zvill  be  done. 

COMMENT   FOR  THE  WEEK 

I 

It  is  only  true  to  say  that  all  we  have  been  studying  up 
to  now  of  the  character  approved  by  Jesus  leads  up  to  the 
subject  of  this  week,  the  necessity  of  prayer.  We  have  seen 
how  all  his  commands  find  their  full  significance  in  the  intent 
to  relate  men  more  closely  to  their  Father  in  heaven.  He 
bids  them  love  Him,  imitate  His  goodness,  obey  His  will, 
and  live  life  through,  fearlessly  and  hopefully,  as  those  whom 
He  has  made  for  Himself.  It  is  as  they  draw  near  to  Him 
that  they  are  to  become  great  in  character. 

All  this  presumes  an  intimacy  of  relation  between  men  and 
God  that  seers  and  saints  in  all  lands  have  dimly  felt  after, 
but  that  Jesus  alone  clearly  enunciated  and  brought  home 
to  the  understanding  of  common  people.  But  how  can  there 
be  such  growing  fellowship  in  character  if  there  is  no  com- 
munication between  the  two?  How  can  there  be  anything 
like  such  friendly  intimacy  if  Father  and  son  are  held"  apart 
as  if  in  different  worlds?  The  whole  development  of  charac- 
ter as  set  forth  by  Jesus  seems  to  imply  and  rest  upon  a 
progressive  acquaintance  with  God  by  men.  And  how  is 
this  to  be  if  we  can  hold  no  speech  with  him?  A  boy  might 
as  well  expect  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  his  father  and 
mother  without  ever  a  word  being  exchanged  between  them. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  life  and  teaching  of  Jesus  every- 
where assume  the  possibility  of  the  interchange  of  thought 
between  us  and  God,  and  the  reality  of  a  genuine  spiritual 
fellowship.  This  interchange  is  not  at  the  first  of  our  seek- 
ing. Jesus  makes  it  plain  that  it  is  we  who  draw  away  from 
God,  and  live  as  in  a  far  country,  where  all  communication 
is  interrupted.  Our  sin  makes  us  afraid  of  God,  and  our 
preoccupation  with  ourselves  makes  us  unwilling  to  hold 
speech  with  him,  lest  it  entangle  us  in  unwelcome  obligations. 
Always  our  Lord  is  urging  men  to  draw  closer  to  God.  This 
is  his  Gospel — that  God  wants  them  and  will  receive  them 
lovingly. 

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[IX-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

How,  then,  could  he  do  otherwise  than  urge  on  them  the 
habit  of  prayer?  He  put  it  before  them  not  as  a  means  of 
accumulating  more  things  in  their  lives,  or  of  dodging  some 
of  the  hardnesses  of  this  world  of  physical  law,  but  as  a 
means  of  self-realization  as  God's  children.  He  drew  strength 
from  it  himself  for  daily  living,  whether  in  the  shop  or  in 
the  temple,  and  he  would  have  them  walk  with  the  Almighty 
as  he  walked. 

n 

Of  course  this  is  not  the  conception  of  prayer  with  which 
we  start  out  as  children.  To  most  of  us  in  childhood,  prayer 
was  simply  a  means,  more  or  less  reliable,  of  getting  things 
that  no  one  else  could  give  us.  But  as  we  grow  older,  and 
come  to  realize  what  the  battle  of  life  really  meansi  we  begin 
to  long  for  spiritual  contact  with  God  more  than  for  anything 
else  that  life  can  yield.  He,  and  he  alone,  has  all  the 
resources  by  which  we  are  to  triumph.  We  are  ignorant, 
weak,  doubting,  selfish,  easily  tempted  and  led  into  un- 
faithfulness; he  is  glorious  in  strength  and  truth  and  love. 
We  want  to  win  our  fight,  to  overcome  evil,  to  hold  out  a 
hand  of  help  to  those  at  our  side.  And  our  weakness  and 
our  divine  hunger  for  better  things  drive  us  to  God.  We 
cannot  be  what  we  would  be  without  him.  We  cannot  win 
through  successfully  alone.  In  our  loneliness  and  defeat 
of  soul  we  must  be  able  to  speak  with  him,  and  in  the  crises 
of  life  we  do  in  fact  turn  inevitably  to  him  for  help. 

This  is  what  a  well-known  writer  from  the  trenches  means 
when  he  says :  "Beneath  all  our  inherited  or  intellectual 
differences  there  is  an  enveloping  and  penetrating  necessity 
holding  us  together.  ...  It  may  be  described  as  the  instinct 
for  establishing  and  retaining  contact  with  the  Supreme 
Being.  Perhaps  the  least  objectionable  covering  phrase  is 
'prayer,'  When  speaking  to  our  troops,  whether  in  the 
camps  of  the  back  zones  or  in  hastily  gathered  groups  at 
the  very  battle-front,  I  found  that  the  one  subject  that  did 
not  lead  to  controversy  was  prayer.  In  the  uncertain  or 
terror-shadowed  or  anguished  periods  of  a  man's  life,  every- 
thing that  had  once  seemed  inseparable  from  civilization  and 
culture  is  swept  away,  and  there  remains  only  the  instinctive 
impulse  to  establish  contact  with  God.     And  the  act  is  suffi- 

138 


THE   DUTY   OF   PRAYER  [IX-c] 

cient,  for  the  man  becomes  calm,  brave,  hopeful,  or  patient, 
as  his  need  may  require." 

This  is  what  prayer  means  on  its  deeper  level — the  satis- 
fying of  our  human  hunger  for  God.  As  the  Psalmist 
expressed  it  long  ago,  and  it  is  as  true  for  the  twentieth- 
century  business  man  as  for  the  tent-dweller  of  that  distant 
past, 

"O  God,  thou  art  my  God;  earnestly  will  I  seek  thee: 
My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee, 
In  a  dry  and  weary  land  where  no  water  is"  (Psalm  63:  i). 

Ill 

But  Jesus  said,  "Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive."  That  is  very 
definite,  very  concrete,  almost  naive  in  its  simplicity.  It  is  a 
promise  of  "answers"  to  petitions.  But  how  could  Jesus  have 
said  less?  When  our  poverty  and  weakness  come  in  touch 
with  God's  strength  and  abundance,  how  can  we^  do  other 
than  lay  our  need  before  him?  If  I  am  just  at  the  point  of 
breaking  down  under  temptation  or  trial,  how  can  I  even 
look  to  the  Father  of  all  mercies  without  a  cry  for  aid?  In 
any  case,  men  do  not  stop  to  argue  about  it.  If  they  have 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  God  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  turn  to 
him  in  need  as  instinctively  as  a  child  to  its  mother.  It  is 
easy  at  this  point  to  drown  our  intellect  in  mysteries  until 
we  can  see  nothing.  But  the  heart  has  reasons  of  its  own 
that  cannot  be  permanently  stifled,  and  in  any  of  life's  ele- 
mental moments  we  find  ourselves  turning  to  God  for  de- 
liverance, in  response  to  a  deeper  wisdom  than  the  logic  of 
argument. 

Jesus,  then,  is  only  confirming  the  half-conscious  conviction 
of  the  race  when  he  says,  "Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive."  He 
illuminates  and  glorifies  the  vague  expectation  of  humanity. 
He  is  not  ashamed  to  say,  "Ask."  He  is  not  speaking  of 
the  high  spiritual  converse  possible  to  favored  souls,  but  of 
the  cry  of  a  child,  of  the  publican,  or  the  penitent  thief. 
Just  as  the  wounds  of  a  soldier  are  a  passport  to  the  mercy 
of  a  Red  Cross  nurse,  so  our  wrongdoing  or  our  distress 
is  our  claim  on  our  Father's  compassion.  And  the  needs 
and  failures  of  life  are  so  many,  and  its  emergencies  are 
so    various!      If    we    are    drifting    easily    with    a    favorable 

139 


lIX-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

current,  we  may  not  feel  how  inevitable  and  how  constant 
is  the  demand  for  prayer;  but  if  we  are  playing  a  man's 
part  in  the  good  fight,  trying  to  lift  others  up,  wc  shall  be 
driven  to  ask  light  and  help,  to  ask  hungrily,  to  ask  per- 
sistently. 

Surely  there  is  a  great  field  of  blessings  in  which  our 
Father  is  more  than  ready  to  meet  the  requests  of  his  chil- 
dren. Our  prayers  are  really  the  coming  to  birth  in  our 
own  minds  and  wills  of  the  wishes  God  has  for  us.  By  our 
very  asking  with  importunity,  we  make  it  possible  for  him 
to  answer — as  when  we  ask  for  courage  or  strength  or  for- 
giveness or  equipment  for  service.  The  asking  and  the 
receiving  cannot  be  far  apart  if  the  prayer  is  to  be  of  use 
at  all.  Prayer  in  innumerable  instances  is  a  going  forward 
to  meet  the  gracious  will  of  God. 

Most  of  us  cannot  give  a  very  adequate  testimony  to  this 
direct  and  immediate  benefit  of  prayer,  because  we  have  so 
imperfectly  and  timidly  tested  it.  But  it  has  been  attested 
times  without  number  by  those  whose  character  and  service 
are  the  pride  of  humanity.  It  is  worth  thinking  deeply,  for 
example,  on  what  one  like  Mary  Slessor  says,  who,  being 
much  alone  in  the  forest,  "often  had  no  other  one  to  speak' 
to  but  her  Father,"  and  so  "just  talked  to  him."  She  wrote 
for  a  friend  these  words  : 

"My  life  is  one  long,  daily,  hourly  record  of  answered 
prayer.  For  physical  health,  for  mental  overstrain,  for  guid- 
ance given  marvelously,  for  errors  and  dangers  averted, 
for  enmity  to  the  Gospel  subdued,  for  food  provided  at  the 
exact  hour  needed,  for  everything  that  goes  to  make  up  life 
and  my  poor  service,  I  can  testify  with  a  full  and  often 
wonderstricken  awe  that  I  believe  God  answers  prayer.  I 
know  God  answers  prayer.  I  have  proved  during  long 
decades  while  alone,  as  far  as  man's  help  and  presence  are 
concerned,  that  God  answers  prayer.  Cavilings,  logical  or 
physical,  are  of  no  avail  to  me.  It  is  the  very  atmosphere 
in  which  I  live  and  breathe  and  have  my  being,  and  it  makes 
life  glad  and  free  and  a  million  times  worth  living.  I  can 
give  no  other  testimony." 

IV 

It  does  not  need  much  reflection  to  see  that  the  benefits 
for  which   one   may   ask   hopefully  are   closely   limited  by   a 

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THE  DUTY   OF  PRAYER  [IX-c] 

variety  of  considerations.  God  does  not  place  us  in  a  world 
of  ordered  and,  in  the  end,  beneficent  law,  only  that  this  law 
may  be  set  aside  whenever  it  interferes  with  our  plans  or 
runs  counter  to  our  wishes.  Few  of  us  would  endure  much 
hardness  if  the  choice  of  it  lay  with  us.  Jesus  was  a  man 
of  prayer,  but  he  was  also  the  Man  of  Sorrows.  And  every 
one  of  those  sorrows  lay  in  some  thwarted  wish  or  purpose, 
some  undesired  trial  or  temptation,  which  he  would  hardly 
have  chosen  for  himself  could  he  have  had  his  own  wish 
for  the  asking. 

Obviously  that  is  not  the  sort  of  asking  that  he  had  in 
mind.  It  is  no  blessed  method  of  escaping  the  unpleasant 
things  or  the  bitter  necessities  of  human  life  in  such  a  world 
as  this.  Our  childish  idea  of  its  unhindered  field  of  opera- 
tion has  to  give  way  to  the  facts.  Even  the  old  Hebrew  idea, 
expressed  here  and  there  in  the  Psalms,  of  the  earthly 
security  of  the  godly,  has  to  be  explained  and  qualified. 

But  even  when  no  immediate  or  direct  response  follows, 
Jesus  finds  his  sufficient  answer  to  prayer  in  the  resulting 
acceptance  of  God's  will.  If  we  can  rise  to  the  point  where 
we  can  make  his  will  our  choice,  then,  indeed,  we  have  gained 
the  victory  and  our  prayer  is  answered.  A  small  boy  must 
have  a  good  deal  of  faith  in  his  mother  if  he  decides  that 
he  wants  for  himself  to  go  to  the  dentist's  because  she  says 
it  is  necessary.  He  cannot  know  how  necessary  it  is,  but  he 
relies  on  the  wisdom  of  her  love  that  he  has  otherwise  proved 
in  a  hundred  ways,  and  he  has  the  manliness  to  accept  the 
situation  and  go  forward  of  his  own  free  will  without  com- 
plaint. 

We  never  get  beyond  the  childhood  stage  with  God,  never 
get  to  the  point  where  we  dare  to  set  up  our  own  judgment 
of  what  is  good  for  us,  as  against  what  he  allows  to  enter 
our  life.  Would  we  dare  refuse  it  if  he  bids  us  go  forward 
to  meet  it?  What  do  we  know  about  the  alternative  that 
we  would  rashly  and  ignorantly  invoke?  Our  only  possible 
peace  and  security  is  in  trusting  that  his  love  is  guiding  us, 
as  though  he  held  our  hand.  And  how  little  would  we  dare 
insist  on  receiving  the  good  fortune  that  to  us  seems  so 
desirable !  We  should  be  afraid  of  it  without  his  approval ; 
it  could  only  entangle  us  in  difficulties  unforeseen. 

And  so,  when  we  come  to  plead  the  promise,  "Ask,  and  ye 

141 


[IX-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

shall  receive,"  we  find  our  way  wide  open  in  one  direction 
only,  but  otherwise  straightly  hedged  about — we  must  ask 
as  those  who  leave  to  God  the  way  of  answering.  He  hears 
our  prayer.  How  can  he  but  hear,  in  whom  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being?  He  hears  it,  so  Jesus  says,  with 
more  than  the  affection  of  a  father  for  his  child.  The  answer 
we  must  leave  to  his  loving  will.  Will  not  love  answer?  But 
he  will  not  wrong  us  by  giving  what  may  not  rightly  be 
ours,  for  which  we  are  not  ready,  or  which  might  even  bring 
subtle  injury  to  our  souls,  or  to  those  we  love.  We  under- 
stand so  little  of  the  laws  of  the  spirit,  and  our  timidity  and 
dread  of  suffering  so  overpower  our  judgment,  that  we  dare 
not  trust  our  own  desires.  We  can  only  bring  them  to  our 
Father,  and  talk  them  over  under  the  illumination  of  his 
presence,  and  leave  them  with  him,  with  a  great  gladness. 
We  have  talked  with  God !  Everything  outwardly  may  be 
the  same  as  before,  but  it  is  not  the  same  for  us.  We 
have  left  the  matter  with  him.  He  and  we  stand  now  to- 
gether, and  we  have  no  fear  of  the  outcome. 

V 

Elizabeth  Fry,  the  friend  of  the  prisoner,  left  on  record 
this  witness,  during  her  last  illness :  "I  believe  I  can  truly  say 
that,  since  the  age  of  seventeen,  I  have  never  waked  from 
sleep,  in  sickness  or  in  health,  without  my  first  waking 
thought  being  how  I  might  best  serve  the  Lord."  No  wonder 
she  seemed  like  an  angel  from  God  to  those  desperate  women 
she  sought  to  aid.  Imagine  how  great  a  character  would  be 
that  was  actually  built  up  around  the  petition.  Thy  kingdom 
come.  And  many  such  there  have  been,  in  answer  to  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  The  world  is  the  better  for  them,  and 
every  such  life  is  a  fresh  witness  to  the  divine  wisdom  of, 
him  who  left  to  his  disciples  so  noble  a  prayer.  Our  lives 
must,  indeed,  be  keyed  to  this  note  today,  if  they  are  to 
fulfil  their  completest  mission  to  society.  And  how  are  they 
to  be  so  perfectly  brought  under  the  dominance  of  this 
purpose,  as  by  a  daily  waiting  upon  God  for  the  establishing 
of  his  kingdom   upon  earth? 

In  this  era  of  world  reconstruction  after  the  Great  War, 
it  is  evident,  as  it  has  never  been  before,  that  only  around 
this   majestic   ambition   can   the    fortunes   of   the   nations   be 

142 


THE   DUTY   OF   PRAYER  [IX-c] 

regrouped  with  any  hope  of  stability.  No  lesser  principle 
will  ultimately  answer.  It  is  because  President  Wilson,  in 
his  various  state  papers,  has  clearly  voiced  a  program  for 
the  nations  that  is  based  on  a  hearty  acceptance  of  this 
principle,  that  the  common  people  of  the  world  have  hailed 
him  as  their  spokesman  and  champion.  The  elaborate  states- 
manship of  Metternich  or  Palmerston  must  presently  give 
way  to  the  policy  of  a  simple  loyalty  to  the  life-purpose  of 
Jesus,  that  God's  will  might  be  done  on  earth  in  righteous- 
ness. All  men  are  summoned  to  labor  and  pray  that  justice 
and  mercy  may  take  the  place  in  international  relations  of 
pride,  or  greed  of  power,  or  racial  hatred.  The  brotherhood 
of  the  family  of  God's  children  is,  in  these  days  of  scientific 
efficiency  of  destruction,  the  only  alternative  to  social  suicide 
and  ruin,  so  that,  in  a  sense,  the  wide  world  is  called  today 
in  this  era  of  grave  social  peril  to  join  for  the  protection 
of  society  in  this  prayer  of  Jesus.  It  is  a  prayer  great  enough 
for  the  common  desire  of  all  humanity,  and  it  is  simple 
enough  for  the  life  of  the  humblest  individual. 

In  either  case  it  is  not  a  mere  pious  aspiration ;  it  is  a 
fighting  prayer,  unless  it  is  only  from  the  lips  outward.  To 
take  this  prayer  honestly  upon  one's  heart  to  God  each  day, 
in  sincere  longing  for  its  answer,  is  not  only  to  take  into 
one's  life  a  formative  principle  of  constraining  power,  but 
to  dedicate  oneself  to  a  cause  against  which  all  the  powers 
of  evil  are  arrayed.  Every  "interest"  intrenched  in  selfish- 
ness, from  the  self-indulgence  of  a  friend  to  the  military 
pride  of  a  nation,  will  resist  it  hotly.  Any  social  propaganda 
that  seeks  only  the  good  of  a  class  is  an  instinctive  enemy 
of  such  a  prayer.  Laziness  and  indolence  and  love  of 
pleasure  resent  it  to  the  last.  Only  the  spirit  of  Jesus  finds 
it  altogether  good  and  sinks  its  own  advantage  in  the  coming 
of  God's  will  on  earth. 

But  every  day  of  one's  life,  this  Lord's  Prayer  will  call 
one  afresh  to  a  task  that  is  never  ended — a  task  that  is  wide 
as  the  world,  and  for  all  who  would  come  up  to  the  help 
of  God  against  the  mighty.  If  it  were  an  unvoiced  desire 
hidden  in  our  hearts  it  would  be  a  good  thing,  but  to  have  it 
a  petition  that  we  bring  to  God  each  day — to  face  with  him 
in  all  its  bearings  on  our  personal  duty,  to  consider  in  the 
revealing  light  of  his   love  and  compassion   for  all  men — is 

143 


[IX-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

to  come  into  a  fruitful  fellowship  with  God  that  means  sure 
ennoblement  of  life.  To  pray  this  prayer  intelligently  is  to 
be  kept  at  the  heart  of  the  good  fight  so  long  as  our  spirits 
may  endure.  And  it  is  our  Master's  will  that  this  should 
be  true  of  us,  every  one. 

VI 

But  because  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  social  in  its  terms,  and 
associates  us  in  our  common  needs  indissolubly  with  the 
whole  brotherhood  of  men,  we  must  not  forget  that  there 
is  a  place  for  prayer  of  the  most  personal  and  individual 
description.  Such  prayer  can  no  more  be  called  selfish  than 
it  is  selfish  to  breathe  or  eat.  It  would  be  as  reasonable 
to  blame  a  drowning  man  for  lack  of  altruism  because  he 
struggles  fiercely  for  his  life,  as  to  blame  the  publican  for 
praying,  "God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  The  deepest 
experiences  of  the  soul  are  solitary  of  necessity,  and  the 
prayers  of  the  ages  bear  witness  that  the  sternest  struggles 
of  the  soul  have  to  be  fought  out  in  a  great  loneliness  before 
God.  The  Psalms  are  pervaded  with  the  sense  of  the 
solidarity  of  the  people  of  God,  and  yet  how  many  of  them 
bear  witness  that,  in  sin  and  temptation,  in  sorrow  and 
sickness  and  death,  all  else  is  lost  sight  of  but  the  relation 
of  individual  dependence  on  God's  lovingkindness.  Indeed, 
we  often  gladly  screen  ourselves  a  little  from  the  solemnity 
of  this  undivided  responsibility  to  God  by  associating  our- 
selves with  our  fellows ;  but  in  the  moments  of  intense 
consciousness  of  our  own  wrongdoing,  or  our  own  need, 
this  cannot  be  done.  The  shame  and  guilt  of  Peter,  when  he 
went  out  and  wept  bitterly,  were  such  as  he  could  share  with 
no  other  soul,  and  his  forgiveness  and  his  joy  when  his 
Master  sought  him  out  after  the  resurrection  could  only  be 
talked  over  between  him  and  his  Lord  alone.  When  Paul 
lay  blinded  on  the  Damascus  road,  his  prayer,  "What  shall 
I  do.  Lord?"  was  only  the  first  of  many  that  were  intensely 
personal,  though  not  selfish.  In  the  deep  waters  of  life  it 
is  the  very  solitariness  of  the  soul  that  drives  us  to  take 
refuge  with  God.  Indeed,  in  grave  illness  or  at  the  time  of 
death  even  our  closest  friends  belong  as  it  were  to  anotner 
world,  and  the  loneliness  would  be  appalling  but  for  me 
close  presence  of  him  who  heareth  prayer. 

144 


THE  DUTY   OF  PRAYER  [IX-c] 

We  need  make  no  apology,  then,  for  prayer  that  is  as 
private  and  personal  as  is  the  unshared  responsibility  of 
our  own  soul  to  God.  Our  own  battles  must  be  won  before 
we  can  effectively  bring  aid  to  our  fellows ;  our  prayer  for 
others  is  of  little  worth  until  we  have  first  found  our  way 
to  him  from  whom  help  comes.  And  it  is  the  peace  and  joy 
that  we  have  won  out  of  stress  of  soul,  through  many  sea- 
sons of  pleading  with  God  for  personal  deliverance  and  for- 
giveness, that  fit  us  for  the  privileged  ministry  of  intercession 
for  others.  It  is  by  the  mercy  of  God  that  we  are  made 
able  to  take  the  needs  and  frailties  of  others  on  our  hearts. 
It  is  not  a  matter  of  course  that  we  shall  all  of  us  set  to 
work  at  once  to  pray  the  unselfish  prayer  for  our  friends  and 
companions,  or  for  the  needy  classes  in  society.  If  it  were, 
why  is  it  that  prayer-meetings  have  practically  died  out  in 
so  many  college  Associations?  It  is  because  the  ordinary 
Christian,  busy  with  his  own  affairs,  has  neither  power  nor 
taste  for  so  divine  a  labor  as  that  of  praying  for  his  fellows. 
He  can  neither  see  the  use  of  it,  nor  has  he  the  power  to 
engage  in  it.  The  ability  and  the  hunger  for  a  ministry  of 
help  so  rare  and  precious  come  only  from  the  triumph  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  one's  own  soul.  Only  if  we  have  won 
our  own  battle,  only  if  we  are  proving  for  ourselves  the 
reality  of  prayer,  and  its  power  to  work  marvels,  is  our  heart 
set  free  to  take  upon  itself  with  eager  sympathy  the  needs 
of  those  who  are  fighting  a  losing  fight.  It  is  easy  to  talk 
of  altruistic  praying,  but,  as  a  matter  of  cruel  experience, 
"except  the  branch  abide  in  the  vine,"  little  enough  of  that 
sort  of  life  will  be  circulating  through  our  veins. 

O  Lord,  lead  us  on  until  we  are  able  in  deed  and  in  truth 
to  pray  the  prayer  of  unselfish  longing  for  our  brother's 
good. 


145 


CHAPTER    X 

The  Goodly  Fellowship 

DAILY  READINGS 

Criticism  has  always  been  suspicious  of  any  recorded 
utterances  of  Jesus  that  looked  beyond  his  tiny  Galilean 
horizon  or  made  provision  for  continuance  of  his  work  after 
his  death.  And  yet  he  must  needs  have  been  a  feather-brain 
indeed,  if  he  had  not  pondered  often  and  deeply  on  the  prob- 
lem of  what  would  become  of  his  work,  and  of  his  disciples 
also,  after  he  was  taken  away.  He  was  engaged  with  all  the 
energy  of  his  being  in  a  clear-cut  undertaking  for  the  deliver- 
ance of  men  from  evil.  He  drew  his  disciples  after  him 
into  the  same  endeavor.  Indeed,  no  one  could  share  his  life 
and  spirit  without  being  made  a  participant  in  his  ambition 
and  a  partner  in  his  enterprise  of  love.  And  Jesus  clearly 
knew  that  he  must  die,  and  leave  the  continuance  of  his  work 
to  others.  It  is  inconceivable  that  any  thoughtful  and  far- 
seeing  man  in  these  circumstances  should  not  have  laid  plans 
for  the  perpetuation  of  his  influence  and  activity,  and  given 
instructions  to  those  who  were  to  follow  him,  so  far  as  he 
could  wisely  do,  for  the  effective  perpetuation  of  his  mission. 

Such  instructions  we  find,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  in  the 
gospels — some  few  commands  that  looked  to  the  maintenance 
on  earth,  long  after  he  had  left  it,  of  the  kingdom  of  love 
which  he  had  founded  and  which  he  was  to  establish  inde- 
structibly by  his  death.  The  only  wonder  is  that  these 
forward-looking  instructions  are  so  few.  They  are  not  in 
the  least  degree  what  his  followers  in  after  days  would  have 
liked.  They  wholly  lack  the  precision  and  detail  of  organ- 
ization for  which  the  ecclesiastic  longs.  They  have  chiefly 
to  do  with  character,  and  are  wholesome,  natural,  and  of 
an  extreme  simplicity.     They  do  not  provide   for  the  estab- 

146 


THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-i] 

lishment  of  a  new  religion  or  the  government  of  a  church, 
but  out  of  a  passionate  yearning  for  men  they  do  enjoin  a 
close-knit  brotherhood  of  loving,  loyal  hearts,  for  the  saving 
of  the  world.  Christian  character  involves  a  readiness,  then, 
nay,  an  eagerness,  to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  this 
great  ministering  brotherhood. 

This  simple  fellowship  of  faith  and  love  has  been  worked 
out  by  the  Church  through  the  centuries  in  many  ways.  It 
has  sometimes  been  elaborated  to  a  complexity  so  artificial 
and  burdensome  as  largely  to  smother  its  Founder's  intent. 
But  no  imaginable  development  of  human  organization  can 
hide  the  plain  intent  of  our  Lord  that  his  disciples  should 
cleave  together  and  to  him,  so  that  his  life  and  power  might 
animate  them  with  one  spirit  in  the  good  fight  for  the  King- 
dom of  God. 

Some  of  these  forward-looking  commands  of  his,  mere 
suggestions  and  glimpses  of  his  thought,  are  discussed  in  the 
studies  for  this  last  week.  The  one  characteristic  they  have 
in  common  is  that  they  center  closely  about  him,  and  draw 
their   significance   from  his  continuing  activity. 

Tenth  Week,  First  Day 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by  from  thence,  he  saw  a  man, 
called  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  place  of  toll:  and  he  saith 
unto  him,  Follow  me.     And  he  arose,  and  followed  him. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at  meat  in  the  house, 
behold,  many  publicans  and  sinners  came  and  sat  down 
with  Jesus  and  his  disciples.  .  .  .  And  as  they  went  forth, 
behold,  there  was  brought  to  him  a  dumb  man  possessed 
with  a  demon.  And  when  the  demon  was  cast  out,  the 
dumb  man  spake:  and  the  multitudes  marvelled,  saying, 
It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel.  .  .  .  Pray  ye  therefore  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  send  forth  laborers  into  his 
harvest. — Matt.  9:9,  10,  32,  33,  38. 

It  cannot  escape  the  notice  of  anyone  who  reads  the  story 
of  Jesus,  that  he  was  not  a  mere  preacher  of  righteousness. 
He  came,  it  is  true,  to  re-create  men  morally.  But  he  did 
not  hope  to  do  this  merely  by  sowing  the  seed  of  truth  for 
a  year  or  tv/o,  and  leaving  it  to  make  its  unaided  impression 
upon  character  after  his  death.  As  we  are  often  reminded, 
the  chief  influence  in  the  formation  of  character  is  friendship 

147 


[X-2]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

— the  force  of  personality.  Argument,  exhortation,  instruc- 
tion, are  all  very  well,  but  they  are  as  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  steady  influence  of  a  noble  friendship.  Jesus  makes 
use  of  this  principle  as  the  primary  force  in  uplifting  men. 
They  needed  something  that  only  he  could  give  them.  He  met 
them  with  a  straight  command  to  follow  him — not  only  to  fol- 
low him,  as  disciples  of  a  teacher  who  they  believed  was  sent 
of  God,  but  to  take  the  heroic  step  of  confessing  him  openly 
as  Master,  of  identifying  themselves  with  him  and  his  cause. 
Manifestly  this  was  not  a  force  to  operate  only  for  a  year 
or  two  while  he  was  in  Galilee,  but,  like  all  life's  chief  in- 
spirations, it  was  to  reach  on  and  on  into  the  future. 

This  step  of  open  decisive  confession  was  no  cheap  or 
easy  condition.  As  he  well  knew,  it  searched  the  innermost 
intent  of  a  man's  heart.  But  its  reaction  upon  character  was 
and  is  amazing.  It  somehow  stabilizes  even  a  character 
hitherto  weak  and  feeble,  and  founds  it  thenceforth,  as  Jesus 
said,  upon  the  rock.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  theory  or  of 
church  doctrine,  but  of  common  human  experience,  repeated 
times  past  numbering.  Such  an  open  declaration  of  loyalty 
to  him,  such  a  definite  crystallization  of  all  our  floating 
aspirations  after  the  best  we  know,  has  the  efifect  of  a  power- 
ful suggestion  of  moral  victory — a  suggestion  that  is  of  in- 
calculable potency  and  ever-renewed  vitality.  Our  fortunes 
become  consciously  bound  up  with  those  of  an  invincible 
Leader. 

Tenth  Week,  Second  Day 

Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  that 
believe  on  me  through  their  word;  that  they  may  all  be 
one;  even  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that 
they  also  may  be  in  us:  that  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  didst  send  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou  hast 
given  me  I  have  given  unto  them;  that  they  may  be  one, 
even  as  we  are  one;  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they 
may  be  perfected  into  one;  that  the  world  may  know 
that  thou  didst  send  me,  and  lovedst  them,  even  as  thou 
lovedst  me. — John  17:20-23. 

So  then  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  sojourners,  but 
ye  are  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  house- 
hold of  God,  being  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
apostles    and    prophets,    Christ    Jesus    himself   being    the 

148 


THE   GOODLY   FELLOWSHIP  [X-2] 

chief  comer  stone;  in  whom  each  several  building,  fitly 
framed  together,  groweth  into  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord; 
in  whom  ye  also  are  builded  together  for  a  habitation  of 
God  in  the  Spirit. — Eph.  2 :  19-22. 

Dr.  Jefferson  has  truly  said,  "You  can  be  a  savage  alone, 
but  you  cannot  be  a  Christian."  To  be  a  follower  of  Jesus 
is  to  be  brought  at  once  into  the  powerful  and  transforming 
fellowship  of  Master  and  disciples.  The  Christian  type  of 
character  is  developed  under  a  surpassing  dynamic  of  spirit- 
ual sympathy  and  cooperation.  You  cannot  meet  Jesus'  re- 
quirements by  capturing  his  religious  and  ethical  philosophy 
and  going  off  with  it  by  yourself  apart,  to  apply  it  in  your 
own  way,  as  though  it  were  no  one's  business  but  your  own, 
the  private  and  individual  concern  of  your  own  soul  only. 
A  dog  with  a  bone  gets  off  by  himself  for  its  undisturbed 
enjoyment,  the  more  secretly  the  better.  But  a  man  whose 
heart  has  been  touched  by  his  Father's  love  comes  eagerly 
and  affectionately  into  the  family,  like  a  boy  forgiven  in  the 
home.  He  draws  closer  to  his  Father — inevitably  closer  to 
those  of  a  like  devoted  purpose  with  his  own.  His  life  ex- 
pands and  grows  by  its  sympathetic  contact  with  other  lives. 

Ever  since  Jesus  lived  among  men,  those  whom  he  brought 
to  God  have  instinctively  clung  together  and  to  him.  He 
bade  them  do  so,  in  some  such  words  as  John's  gospel  has 
preserved — not  in  any  mechanical  outward  uniformity  of 
belief  in  a  hundred  matters  of  faith  and  form  and  govern- 
ment, as  to  which  honest  men  have  always  differed,  but  in 
the  genuine  brotherly  cooperation  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 
This  spontaneous  and  inevitable  fellowship  of  the  men  and 
women  who  have  found  life  in  Jesus  Christ  constitutes  the 
Church.  It  is  always  being  reborn,  reshaped,  reanimated,  as 
the  millions  who  compose  it  gain  new  visions  of  what  real 
discipleship  means.  But  the  goodly  fellowship  goes  on,  the 
fellowship  of  those  who  would  realize  through  Jesus  Christ 
what  God  would  have  them  be,  and  would  leave  the  world 
better  for  their  living.  And  in  its  loyal  association  is  the 
world's  greatest  training-ground  of  character. 

Lord,  help  me  to  find  some  such  place  in  thy  Church  that 
I  may  feci  the  heartbeat  of  the  great  family  of  redeemed 
souls  dedicated  to  thy  service. 

149 


[X-3]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 


Tenth  Week,  Third  Day 

Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear 
fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  so  neither  can 
ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the 
branches:  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same 
beareth  much  fruit:  for  apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing. 
If  a  man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and 
is  withered;  and  they  gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the 
fire,  and  they  are  burned.  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my 
words  abide  in  you,  ask  whatsoever  ye  will,  and  it  shall 
be  done  unto  you.  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that 
ye  bear  much  fruit;  and  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples. — 
John  15:4-8. 

Christians  have  always  been  accused  of  being  so  pre- 
occupied with  another  world  that  they  were  unpractical  and 
ineffective  citizens  in  this.  The  charge  has  often  been  true. 
But  it  has  been  because  they  were  poor  Christians.  Jesus 
left  the  plainest  instructions  at  the  very  last,  as  he  did  at 
the  beginning,  that  the  primary  duty  of  anyone  who  followed 
him  was  to  bear  fruit  here  and  now.  If  they  shared  his 
spirit,  they  would  do  this  to  a  certainty.  His  picture  of  the 
servants  with  the  talents  shows  how  he  expects  men  to 
make  the  most  of  what  they  have,  under  just  these  tempting 
conditions  when  we  seem  our  own  masters.  His  teaching 
makes  men  practical  and  effective,  first  of  all  right  in  the 
town  where  they  live.  They  are  not  effective  always  as 
money-getters  or  self-boosters,  but  quietly  and  steadily  effi- 
cient in  all  those  things  that  make  a  man  a  desirable  member 
of  society,  the  things  that  by  love  and  sympathy  are  making 
the  world  a  better  place  to  live  in. 

After  all,  it  is  no  worse  to  have  one's  thoughts  engrossed 
with  the  prospect  of  a  harp  and  crown  hereafter  than  to  have 
them  selfishly  monopolized  with  sport  or  study  or  even  with 
getting  ahead  of  the  other  fellow  in  business.  Both  courses 
are  out  of  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus.  He  organized 
his  followers  on  the  basis  of  an  association  for  service.  And 
so,  if  life  is  before  us  and  we  have  the  shaping  and  spending 
of  it  in  our  hands,  he  calls  us  to  make  this  our  first  concern, 
how  we  can  bear  the  most  fruit. 

What  sort  of  fruit  any  branch  of  that  glorious  Vine  will 

ISO 


THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-4]- 

.  bear,  we  know  well.     Men  saw  it  once  in  those  Syrian  homes,, 
they  see  it  today  in  every  country  under  heaven. 

O  Lord,  grant  in  thy  mercy  that  they  may  see  it  in  my  life^ 
too. 

Tenth  Week,  Fourth  Day 

They  therefore,  when  they  were  come  together,  asked 
him,  saying.  Lord,  dost  thou  at  this  time  restore  the 
kingdom  to  Israel?  And  he  said  unto  them,  It  is  not  for 
you  to  know  times  or  seasons,  which  the  Father  hath  set 
within  his  own  authority.  But  ye  shall  receive  power, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall  be 
my  witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea  and 
Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. — Acts 
1 :  6-8. 

Anyone  today  who  wished  to  revolutionize  human  thought 
on  any  subject  would  write  a  book,  or  several  books,  to 
extend  and  preserve  his  influence.  Or  he  would  at  least  have 
his  lectures  printed,  or  write  to  the  newspapers,  or  in  some 
way  appeal  to  the  world  public,  so  that  his  spoken  words 
might  not  fall  to  the  ground  and  be  forgotten  like  autumn 
leaves.  Jesus  left  not  even  a  scrap  of  paper,  not  so  much 
as  a  letter  to  his  mother  or  one  of  his  friends.  For  a  few 
months  he  talked  with  men,  men  mostly  dull  or  thoughtless 
or  impenetrably  prejudiced.  He  added  his  voice  to  the  babel 
of  voices  in  that  crowded  Roman  province,  a  single,  mis- 
understood messenger  among  the  thousand  teachers  of  the 
empire.  And  then  he  vanished  away,  and  there  remained 
only  the  precarious  memory  of  those  spoken  words,  here  and 
there  where  they  had  found  lodgment  in  some  hearer's  mind. 

It  was  an  amazing  confidence  he  had  that  these  woids  of 
his,  spoken  by  the  roadside  to  the  poor,  would  never  perish — 
an  almost  incredible  presumption,  one  might  say.  But  he 
knew  what  he  was  doing.  He  left  witnesses  i  They  were 
just  ordinary  men  and  women,  not  influential  people,  or  great 
scholars,  yet  men  of  such  deep  conviction  and  passionate 
devotion  that  they  never  could  forget  what  he  had  done  for 
them,  or  the  vision  of  hope  to  which  he  had  opened  their 
eyes.  The  whole  world  structure  of  Christianity  rests  on 
their  story  of  what  they  had  heard  and  seen,  a  story  of  his 
living  presence,  renewed  in  each  generation.     To  be  a  disciple 

151 


[X-5]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

of  Jesus  means  to  be  a  man  with  a  message  of  infinite  help- 
fulness, based  on  personal  experience.  Jesus  commanded 
his  followers  to  take  upon  themselves  this  incalculable  re- 
sponsibility of  commending  him  to  their  fellows.  This  per- 
sonal endorsement  of  Jesus  is  the  central  force  in  the 
Church's  extension  of  Christianity. 

No  book  was  necessary.  You  and  I  are  his  hook  today. 
Have  zve  anything  to  say  that  would  gladden  a  man's  heart 
to  hear,  or  zvould  it  only  discourage  and  bewilder  him? 

Tenth  Week,  Fifth  Day 

And  he  took  bread,  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he 
brake  it,  and  gave  to  them,  saying.  This  is  my  body 
which  is  given  for  you:  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me. 
And  the  cup  in  like  manner  after  supper,  saying,  This 
cup  is  the  new  covenant  in  my  blood,  even  that  which 
is  poured  out  for  you. — Luke  22 :  19,  20. 

For  I  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I  delivered 
unto  you,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  night  in  which  he 
was  betrayed  took  bread;  and  when  he  had  given  thanks, 
he  brake  it,  and  said.  This  is  my  body,  which  is  for  you: 
this  do  in  remembrance  of  me.  In  like  manner  also  the 
cup,  after  supper,  saying.  This  cup  is  the  new  covenant 
in  my  blood:  this  do,  as  often  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remem- 
brance of  me.  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and 
drink  the  cup,  ye  proclaim  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come. 
— I  Cor.  11:23-26. 

It  is  safe  to  assume  that  every  command  of  Jesus  is 
directed  to  a  real  end  in  human  welfare  and  has  a  reaction 
upon  character.  Here  is  a  bidding  which  we  in  our  day  are 
apt  to  hold  lightly,  chiefly  because  it  has  been  so  extrava- 
gantly abused  and  because  its  true  use  is  so  little  understood. 
But  we  cannot  overlook  it  altogether,  in  a  study  such  as  this. 
The  evidence  for  its  genuineness  is  overwhelming.  It  has  a 
prominent  place  in  the  first  three  gospels,  is  reaffirmed  in 
one  of  Paul's  earliest  letters,  and  was  evidently  honored  and 
obeyed  by  the  earliest  companies  of  Jesus'  disciples. 

Jesus  left  no  imposing  liturgy  for  the  new  brotherhood  he 
founded.  The  humblest  fraternal  order  in  our  land  has  a 
fuller  ritual  than  any  he  ever  hinted  at.  But  he  knew  how 
easily   men    forget,   how   quickly   their  perspective  of   values 

152 


THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-6] 

may  be  deranged,  and  he  left  this  simple  but  touching  serv- 
ice as  a  lasting  reminder  of  his  central  place  in  their  asso- 
ciation. It  was  an  outward  symbol  of  an  inward  and  eternal 
reality — the  fact  that  their  life  was  fed  by  him.  His  death 
was  the  culmination  of  his  life,  and  his  life  and  death  made 
plain  the  love  of  God  for  men.  As  they  remembered  him 
and  his  perfect  self-giving  for  their  sakes,  they  would  be 
kept  in  his  love,  and  his  life  would  flow  through  them. 

This  homely,  familiar  observance  of  eating  a  supper  to- 
gether, so  different  from  the  stately  ceremonials  of  priestly 
worship  everywhere,  was  to  be  a  joyous  memorial  service, 
binding  him  and  his  followers  together  in  a  common  life. 
Its  power  lay  in  its  simplicity.  It  was  intensely,  almost  pathet- 
ically, human.  Overlaid  by  mystery,  buttressed  with  dogma, 
it  becomes  portentous,  bewildering,  and  the  very  ones  are 
turned  away  whom  Jesus  would  first  invite  to  sit  with  him 
at  such  a  feast — the  faithful,  honest  souls  who  would  do  his 
will,  but  who  cannot  discern  him  behind  the  veil  of  a 
miracle-working  sacrament. 

We  are  losing  some  clement  necessary  to  the  building  up 
of  character  as  Jesus  would  have  it,  if  we  are  too  timid  or 
too  careless  to  follozv  any  one  of  his  plain  directions. 

Tenth  Week,  Sixth  Day 

But  the  eleven  disciples  went  into  Galilee,  unto  the 
mountain  where  Jesus  had  appointed  them.  And  when 
they  saw  him,  they  worshipped  him;  but  some  doubted. 
And  Jesus  came  to  them  and  spake  unto  them,  saying, 
All  authority  hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and 
on  earth.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the 
nations,  baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and 
of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit:  teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you:  and  lo, 
I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. — 
Matt.  28:  16-20. 

To  a  world  groping  endlessly  after  God,  Jesus  brought  a 
message  of  inexpressible  gladness.  Of  course  if,  as  many 
tell  us,  it  was  all  a  dream,  that  broke  off  forever  with  his 
death,  then  it  was  only  natural  that  he  should  leave  it  to 
the  oblivion  in  which  it  ended.     But  if  it  was  indeed  good 

153 


[X-7]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

news  of  God,  not  for  a  day  but  for  all  days,  then  who  can 
believe  that  he  would  not  have  left  some  such  command  as 
this  for  its  spreading  everywhere?  If  such  a  command 
were  not  recorded  we  should  have  had  to  imagine  it,  for  it 
is  the  inevitable  corollary  of  his  life-work. 

For  himself,  in  his  brief  workday,  he  accepted  the  neces- 
sary limitation  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,  even 
though  he  plainly  looked  beyond  them  to  the  many  who 
should  come  from  the  east  and  west,  and  from  the  north 
and  south,  who  should  press  into  the  Kingdom  of  God.  But 
when  his  life-battle  had  been  fought  out  to  the  victorious 
issue,  and  he  handed  on  to  his  disciples  the  Gospel  of  God's 
love,  he  handed  them  their  orders  for  the  long  campaign. 
He  sent  them  to  all  nations.  The  message  obviously  was  for 
all  the  children  of  his  Father,  Jew  and  Greek,  and  the  un- 
known children  of  the  forests  below  the  edge  of  the  world. 
And  his  followers  were  the  King's  messengers,  by  virtue  of 
their  having  seen  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ.     Freely  they  had  received,   freely  they  must  give. 

Have  we  any  fault  to  find  with  this  standing  order  which 
meets  us  as  we  take  our  place  in  the  long  succession,  hoping 
to  quit  ourselves  like  men?  Naturally,  if  the  Gospel  has  only 
a  theoretical  worth  to  us,  we  would  not  sacrifice  much  to 
give  it  to  others.  But  suppose  our  hearts  tell  us  that  it  is 
worth  everything!  What  then?  Is  my  contribution  to  the 
world-tvide  spreading  of  Christ's  Gospel  a  fair  measure  of 
the  value  I  set  upon  it,  and  of  my  gratitude  to  God? 

Tenth  Week,  Seventh  Day 

Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled:  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions; 
if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you;  for  I  go  to  pre- 
pare a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place 
for  you,  I  come  again,  and  will  receive  you  unto  myself; 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also. — John  14: 1-3. 

We  have  come  to  our  last  study  of  the  words  of  Jesus, 
and  it  leaves  us  looking  far  on  beyond  these  familiar  days 
under  the  sun.  What  manner  of  life  there  may  be  beyond 
the  impenetrable  veil,  we  do  not  know — perhaps  no  human 
words    could    make    us    understand.     We    only    know    J^rom 

154 


THE   GOODLY   FELLOWSHIP  [X-c] 

Jesus  that  our  Father  is  there,  and  that  presently  we  also 
shall  be  there,  still  the  children  of  his  love.  Then  we  shall 
see  face  to  face,  who  now  see  darkly  as  in  a  mirror. 

It  was  unmistakably  the  will  of  Jesus  that  men  should  live 
in  triumphant  hope  of  this  deathless  future.  Hardly  one 
clear  word  did  he  say  to  meet  our  curiosity  as  to  its  nature, 
and  yet  all  he  said  assumed  that  present  and  future  make 
but  one  life,  and  that  death  is  only  a  passing  interruption 
of  its  activity.  Well  he  knew  how  profoundly  character 
must  be  influenced  by  such  an  expectation.  There  are  many 
days  when  life  floats  on  as  gayly  as  a  streamlet  in  the  sun- 
shine. But  gray  days  come,  and  days  slow  in  passing,  when 
it  makes  to  us  all  the  difference  in  the  world  whether  we 
are  going  to  the  scrap-heap  or  are  going  home.  This  is  where 
our  Lord  has  gloriously  reenforced  our  steadiness  under 
strain,  in  that,  through  fair  weather  or  foul,  we  know  that 
we  are  going  to  our  Father's  house.  "Where  I  am,  there 
ye  shall  be  also."  David  Livingstone  would  hardly  have 
borne  those  years  of  appalling  loneliness  in  the  African 
forests  had  he  not  been  cheered  by  thoughts  of  the  great 
reunion  that  dawned  on  him  at  last  in  the  little  hut  at  Ilala 
where  his  journey  ended. 

What  it  may  be  to  enter  fully  into  the  joy  of  our  Lord,  we 
cannot  guess.  But  it  is  for  him  who  has  been  found  faithful 
in  a  very  little.  May  we  gather  some  foretaste  of  it  along 
the  way,  as  we  go  faithfully  about  the  duties  of  the  hour. 


COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

I 

If  Jesus  had  left  carefully  drawn  up  a  constitution  and 
bylaws  for  his  Church,  with  an  authoiitative  creed  and 
catechism  for  its  guidance,  he  would  have  met  the  idea 
of  a  large  group  of  his  followers  from  that  day  to  this.  But 
he  would  have  left  a  yoke  he  had  not  the  least  wish  to 
impose.  His  yoke  was  easy  and  his  burden  was  light,  where- 
in his  Church  has  not  always  resembled  him.  And  so,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  he  rarely  alluded  to  the  Church  that  was  to 
be.     He   spoke  most  earnestly   and  plainly   on   many   things 

155 


[X-c]  BUILDING    ON  ROCK 

that  seemed  to  him  of  first  importance,  but  the  organization 
of  the  Church  was  not  one  of  them. 

Did  he,  then,  leave  his  disciples  without  any  principle  of 
cohesion  and  cooperation,  to  take  effect  after  his  departure? 
He  did  not !  He  gave  them  what  they  needed  for  most  suc- 
cessful growth.  He  gave  them  a  unifying  principle  stronger 
than  any  other  that  mankind  has  ever  known — that  of  a 
supreme  devotion  to  a  common  leader  and  a  common  cause. 
It  has  been,  and  always  will  be,  a  tie  as  strong  and  flexible 
as   tempered   steel. 

The  story  of  the  way  in  which  this  tie  has  held  through 
the  ages  is  one  of  almost  -incredible  wonder,  when  we  re- 
member the  buffetings  through  which  the  Church  has  come. 
Any  fixed  creed  and  constitution  would  have  withered  into 
hopeless  inadequacy,  long  before  now.  But  the  living  prin- 
ciple on  which  he  organized  the  ever-growing  host  of  those 
who  should  follow  him  thrills  with  the  currents  of  spiritual 
force  today,  as  truly  as  on  that  night  of  fear  when  his 
nearest  friends  hung  on  his  last  words.  It  is  a  principle  of 
vital  association  with  himself,  adapting  itself  to  the  needs 
and  comprehension  of  every  age.  As  we  see  it  worked  out, 
there  in  Judea  long  ago,  or  in  the  slow  disappointing  cen- 
turies of  fear  and  superstition,  or  among  the  people  of  the 
twentieth  century  whom  we  know,  the  energy  that  pulsates 
through  it  is  from  him.  It  is  not  the  church  machinery  or 
the  church  creeds  or  the  church  sacraments  that  generate 
the  power ;  but  as  men  living  in  his  fellowship  absorb  his 
spirit,  they  learn  to  live  the  sacrificial  life  that  actually 
redeems. 

It  is  this  circle  of  faulty  men  and  women,  learning  every 
day  to  live  as  Jesus  would  have  them  live,  which  makes  up 
the  Church.  Whether  Greek,  Roman,  or  Protestant,  Meth- 
odist, Quaker,  or  Presbyterian,  as  the  faces  of  men  grow 
gentle  with  the  gentleness  of  Christ,  we  recognize  the  pres- 
ence of  the  true  Church  of  Christ.  And  it  is  a  tragedy  for 
a  true  man  to  be  found  in  critical  alienation  from  its  fellow- 
ship. He  who  hears  the  words  of  Jesus  and  does  them  finds 
his  fitting  place  humbly  and  loyally  in  the  ranks  of  those 
who  have  confessed  Him  before  men.  He  asked  it  of  his 
friends  once,  and  his  friends  until  today  find  it  a  reasonable 
and  a  rewarding  thing  to  do. 

156 


THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-c] 

II 

We  all  know  the  type  of  man  who  can  never  be  brought  to 
play  the  game.  Something  is  lacking  in  him  that  is  necessary 
to  the  make-up  of  the  all-round  man.  In  school,  or  in  col- 
lege, or  on  the  team,  or  in  any  of  the  hundred  organized 
activities  of  neighbor  and  citizen,  he  always  wants  to  play 
a  lone  hand.  He  can  never  be  brought  to  see  the  necessity 
for  team  play.  There  is  some  contrary  element  in  him  that 
makes  him  the  despair  of  leader  or  captain  in  any  concerted 
or  effective  action  whatsoever.  He  is  a  fruitful  source  of 
irritation  and  defeat  all  along  the  way.  Only  when  he  comes 
up  against  the  stern  mandate  of  a  nation  plunged  in  war, 
does  he  find  his  lifelong  individualism  overridden  and  set 
at  nought.  Then,  in  spite  of  himself,  he  is  made  to  serve 
the  public  good  in  the  way  of  complete  cooperation. 

But  a  character  like  his  is  plainly  an  imperfect  character. 
His  own  tastes  and  opinions  are  so  overshadowingly  impor- 
tant that  he  can  never  subordinate  himself  to  a  common 
purpose  for  a  common  good.  He  can  be  a  free  lance,  but 
he  can  neither  be  a  soldier  nor  a  comrade  nor  a  man  under 
any  discipline  or  constraint  whatever,  except  that  of  his  own 
self-will.  And  the  worst  of  it  is  that  he  is  likely  to  pride 
himself  on  his  superior  intelligence  and  independence.  He 
does  not  see  what  a  poor  skulker  he  is  in  times  of  supreme 
need,  when  men  are  giving  themselves  and  all  they  have  in 
concerted  sacrifice   for  the  common  good. 

Jesus  built  his  disciples'  character  on  lines  exactly  the 
opposite  of  this.  He  could  not  do  otherwise,  being  what  he 
was.  He  was  consecrated  through  and  through — to  the  last 
ounce  of  his  energy — to  a  great  social  mission,  divinely 
loving  and  beautiful.  He  had  but  a  handbreadth  of  time  in 
which  to  give  to  men  the  first  vision  of  his  evangel.  And 
then  he  had  to  leave  the  long,  long  fight  to  them.  He  would 
be  with  them  in  spirit  and  would  cheer  them  on,  but  they 
must  stand  as  one  man  against  a  world  in  arms.  If  ever 
concerted  life  and  action  were  necessary,  it  was  then;  not 
only  because  of  the  uncountable  odds  against  them,  but 
because  their  very  purpose  and  method  were  those  of  love, 
and  if  they  themselves  did  not  illustrate  and  enforce  it,  they 
were   defeated   from  the  start.     This   trait  of  character,  de- 

157 


![X-c]  BUILDING    ON   ROCK 

manding  subordination  of  selfish  plans  to  the  welfare  of 
the  group,  was  to  be  the  distinguishing  mark  of  his  followers. 
"By  this,"  he  said,  "shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my 
disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  He  knit  them  up 
in  a  closer  comradeship  than  that  of  an  army,  "for  my  sake 
and  the  gospel's."  To  be  true  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus  is  to 
be  willing  to  play  the  game,  in  its  demand  for  close  asso- 
ciation in  intensive  life  and  effective  action. 

If  the  Church  had  only  obeyed  his  bidding,  she  would  have 
swept  through  that  old  weary  pagan  world  as  Garibaldi  and 
his  legion  swept  through  Italy.  But  the  more  intricate  and 
«laborate  her  organization  and  her  creeds  became,  the  more 
heresies  and  divisions  multiplied,  until  even  the  heathen 
jeered  at  the  spectacle  of  angry  discordance  she  presented. 
It  is  wonderful  how  for  a  thousand  years  under  these  condi- 
tions the  clear  spring  of  truth  kept  flowing,  though  so  many 
muddied  the  stream  just  below  the  source.  But  now  we  are 
once  more  seeing  the  real  intent  and  command  of  Jesus,  and 
we  are  hearing  penitently  his  call  to  get  together  on  the 
simple  basis  of  obedience  to  him,  that  we  all  may  be  one, 
in  love  and  loyalty  to  Leader  and  Cause,  in  effective  co- 
operation. 

It  certainly  does  not  call  for  the  churchman's  dream  of 
outward  unity  under  one  name  and  method  and  government ; 
but  it  does  call  for  a  true  brotherhood  and  discipleship, 
proudly  confessed,  and  it  leaves  no  place  for  the  man  who 
would  take  all  that  Jesus  can  offer  of  moral  inspiration,  and 
shirk  all  that  he  asks  in  sacrificial  dedication.  Christo  et 
Ecclesice  may  seem  dead  enough  as  an  outgrown  corporation 
motto,  but  it  is  written  in  letters  of  living  light  over  against 
all  who  would  build  character  under  that  Master-Builder. 

Ill 

Among  thoughtful  young  people  today  there  is  an  un- 
doubted reluctance  to  attend  the  Lord's  Supper,  even  when 
they  are  members  of  the  church.  This  is  natural  enough ;  for 
there  has  probably  been  more  of  unreality  at  this  point,  than 
at  any  other  in  the  whole  field  of  church  observances.  Ever 
since  the  first  century,  it  has  been  thrust  into  a  position  of 
strained  and  artificial  significance,  for  which  the  simple 
directness  of  Jesus'  teaching  affords  no  warrant.     There  is 

158 


THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-c] 

little  doubt  among  scholars  of  today  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
eucharist  was  deeply  affected  by  the  "mystery  religions"  of 
the  Orient,  especially  those  of  Isis  and  Serapis  and  of  Mithra, 
which  gave  so  large  a  place  to  the  secret  rites  of  sacramental 
cleansing  from  sin. 

In  any  event,  long  before  the  downfall  of  paganism,  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  generally  accepted  as  a  sacrament  in 
which  there  was  not  only  the  "real  presence"  of  Christ,  but 
"a  sacrifice,  offered  to  God  by  a  priest,  inclining  God  to  be 
gracious  to  the  living  and  the  dead."  For  nearly  a  thousand 
years  the  mere  participation  in  the  sacrament  was  held  to 
be  the  chief  means  of  building  up  Christian  life.  Private 
Bible-reading  or  study  of  the  teaching  of  Jesus  was  for 
obvious  reasons  practically  unknown,  and  for  the  most  part 
there  was  no  adequate  instruction  from  school  or  pulpit. 
The  miraculous  transference  of  life  by  means  of  the  real 
presence  in  the  eucharist  was  relied  upon  to  effect,  thauma- 
turgically,  what  we  of  today  recognize  can  be  achieved  only 
by  patient  instruction  in  God's  truth  and  a  hearty  obedience 
to  his  will. 

Surely  it  is  not  strange  that  the  pendulum  is  now  swinging 
well  to  the  other  side.  As  we  turn  back  to  Christ  and  make 
his  own  words  the  standard  for  our  thought,  we  find  noth- 
ing to  warrant  the  dogmatic  assertions  of  the  Church,  in- 
sisted on  through  ages  of  fierce  and  bloody  contention  that 
made  a  tragic  mockery  of  this  bond  of  loving  fellowship. 

Yet  no  accumulation  of  human  imaginings  can  blind  us  to 
our  Lord's  intent,  or  hide  the  fact  that  even  in  its  distortions 
this  memorial  of  a  vital  union  with  the  Master  has  been 
the  inexpressible  consolation  of  his  people.  We  cannot  afford 
to  disregard  any  of  his  plain  commands ;  to  do  so  is  to  lose 
something  vital  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  richest  character. 
The  enlisted  man  is  not  free  to  pick  and  choose  among  the 
orders  of  his  commanding  officer,  according  as  he  fully 
understands  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  given.  If  we 
have  grave  doubts  whether  we  fully  grasp  the  significance 
of  the  sacrament,  let  us  share  in  it  gladly  for  what  we  are 
able  to  perceive,  hoping  that  little  by  little  its  depth  of  mean- 
ing may  grow  upon  us. 

And  this  much  we  clearly  can  perceive :  that  it  is  a 
memorial    service   of    loving   remembrance    of    our    Lord,    a 

159 


[X-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

symbol  of  our  real  participation  in  his  life,  and  an  outward 
sign  of  our  endless  fellowship  with  all  the  company  of  those 
who  love  him  and  call  him  Lord,  whether  in  heaven  or  on 
earth.  Not  one  of  us,  for  our  soul's  sake,  can  afford  to 
forsake  an  observance  so  vital,  so  uplifting,  so  glorious, 
which  knits  us  up  forever  with  the  household  of  all  faithful 
souls. 

IV 

Aiany  of  us  remember  how  the  young  Free  Kirk  minister 
in  ''The  Bonnie  Brier  Bush"  was  led  by  his  mother's  memory 
"to  say  a  gude  word  for  Jesus  Christ"  in  his  first  sermon. 
Of  all  that  human  lips  could  utter,  there  surely  is  nothing 
greater  or  more  good  to  hear.  The  world-pervading  influence 
of  Christianity  rests,  after  all,  not  upon  any  philosophy 
skilfully  adapted  to  modern  thought,  but  'upon  the  simple 
testimony  of  human  lips  that  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a 
power  that  redeems  life,  that  it  yields  life  at  its  best.  Where 
this  testimony  dies  out,  there  Christianity  ceases  to  be  the 
real  thing,  and  presently  becomes  a  pretentious  shadow  of 
its  true  self.  Where  it  is  spoken  with  the  earnestness  of 
genuine  conviction,  there  it  is  like  a  spreading  fire,  whether 
the  speaker  be  brought  up  like  Phillips  Brooks  in  the  best 
American  culture,  or  like  Gypsy  Smith,  in  a  wandering 
caravan.  , 

It  is  a  wonderful  thing  that  a  little  working  girl  from  a 
drunkard's  home  should  grow  up,  like  Mary  Slessor,  to  have 
her  word  run  unchallenged  as  beneficent  law  through  un- 
known regions  of  forest  in  savage  Africa,  because  she  spoke 
so  plainly  and  lovingly  of  what  Jesus  means  to  men  today. 
But  Christian  character  at  normal  level  means  the  participa- 
tion in  just  this  life-giving  witness,  in  ways  great  or  small. 
Let  the  burden  of  proof  rest  on  us  if  this  is  not  so.  Why 
can  we  not  help  to  pass  on  the  blessings  that  have  come  to 
us  through  him,  mediated  it  may  be  in  many  respects  through 
generations  of  his  loyal  followers?  Why  should  not  we  be 
messengers  of  God  to  needy  people  in  our  time?  Is  it  fitting 
and  necessary  that,  in  this  central  matter  of  knowledge  of 
the  Life-giver,  we  should  spread  doubt  and  dejection  and 
disappointment,  only  to  sap  the  chief  resources  of  moral 
regeneration  in  society?     It  may  be  our  deep  misfortune  to 

i6o 


THE   GOODLY   FELLOWSHIP  [X-c] 

be  so  entangled  in  doubts  that  the  only  message  of  inspiration 
we  can  bring  to  society  is  that  "we  do  not  know."  But  if 
this  is  not  so,  if  the  goodly  faith  brought  by  Jesus  Christ 
is  actually  redeeming  our  lives,  why  should  it  not  be  we 
who  have  the  privilege  of  passing  on  the  living  faith  to 
others? 

There  are  numberless  ways  of  serving  society,  and  whether 
it  be  the  washing  of  dishes  at  home  or  the  shaping  of  a 
world's  diplomacy  in  the  court  of  nations,  the  glory  of  God's 
service  may  rest  upon  them  all.  But  surely  he  who  lifts 
men  up  toward  God,  who  ministers  spiritual  strength  and 
deliverance  and  comfort  to  hard-pressed  men  and  women, 
has  a  task  that  is  to  be  envied  before  all  others.  For  a 
minister  without  a  living  message,  who  merely  discusses  the 
questions  of  the  hour  or  hands  on  ethical  and  theological 
conventionalities,  his  task  is  stupid  drudgery.  But  if  one 
might  share  the  work  that  Jesus  once  did  in  Palestine,  a 
work  of  love,  brightened  with  hope  and  strong  in  the  confi- 
dence of  God,  that  would  seem  to  be  the  highest  privilege 
a  man  could  ask  on  earth.  Hemmed  about  with  limitations, 
many  of  us  have  yet  found  it  so.  Then  why  not  I,  in  some 
one  of  the  hundred  lines  of  spiritual  ministry^ 

V 
Great  character  can  hardly  be  had  without  great  thoughts 
on  which  to  nourish  it.  The  Bolshevik  outlook  will  breed 
Bolshevik  selfishness.  Many  a  plain  Scottish  peasant,  ponder- 
ing even  at  the  plow-tail  on  the  majesty  of  God  and  the 
wonder  of  His  purposes  for  men,  has  been,  like  Carlyle's 
father,  one  of  God's  nobility.  Jesus'  plan  of  character- 
building  did  not  rest  on  mere  exhortation  to  go  forth  to  a 
life  of  service.  It  showed  its  divine  quality  by  equipping 
men  for  it.  It  lifted  men's  eyes  to  such  spacious  horizons 
and  attuned  their  thoughts  to  such  thrilling  hopes,  that  mean, 
narrow,   selfish  living  became   impossible. 

A  weakness  of  our  time  is  that  it  seeks  to  get  whole-souled 
devotion  without  deep  conviction,  and  a  life  of  the  highest 
service  without  the  highest  hispiration.  A  poor  cobbler  sit- 
ting at  his  bench  in  a  tiny  English  village  faces  a  map  of 
the  world  hung  opposite  him  upon  the  wall ;  and  looking 
at  it  day  by  day,  as  through  the  eyes  of  his  Master,  he  lays 

i6i 


[X-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

down  his  cobbler's  tools  to  win  one  of  the  greatest  names 
of  his  generation  as  scholar  and  benefactor.  But  nothing 
less  magnificent  than  the  imperial  scope  of  the  thought  of 
Jesus  could  have  lifted  William  Carey  out  of  his  petty  pro- 
vincialism and  made  him  an  apostle  to  the  peoples  of  India. 

It  is  not  an  afterthought,  then,  nor  an  extension  of  the 
proper  scope  of  these  studies,  that  we  should  consider  last 
of  all  our  Lord's  call  to  a  world-wide  mission  and  to  the 
power  of  an  endless  life.  They  are  immediately  germane  to 
the  enterprise  of  character-building.  The  man  who,  for  the 
sake  of  effectiveness  and  intensity,  limits  his  outlook  to  his 
own  circle  and  the  years  just  at  hand,  deliberately  cripples 
the  wings  that  might  lift  him  to  a  larger  and  more  generous 
life.  He  dislocates  himself  from  the  spiritual  environment  in 
which  his  Master  lived — and  little  does  this  make  for  efficient 
living.  There  is,  of  course,  no  direct  connection  between  the 
two  ideas.  But  they  remind  us  that  the  commands  of  Jesus, 
that  began  with  the  infinite  outreach  of  the  call  to  love  God, 
leave  us  all  still  face  to  face  with  a  supreme  duty  and  a 
supreme  anticipation.  We  may  be  busied  every  day  with 
the  labor  of  winning  our  bread  and  butter,  but  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being  in  a  mental  environment  that  is 
divinely  wide  and  wonderful. 

Consider  for  a  moment  the  reaction  upon  character  of  a 
faithful  acceptance  of  the  "great  commission."  Millions  of 
our  fellow-citizens  in  these  recent  months  have  come  into  a 
relation  of  genuine  sympathy  with  peoples  who  a  few  years 
ago  were  wholly  outside  the  circle  of  their  interests.  Farmers' 
homes  in  California  and  Kansas  and  Virginia  today  have 
actually  been  saving  food  for  the  starving  in  Belgium  and 
Serbia  and  Poland  and  Syi-ia,  and  doing  it  voluntarily  and 
intelligently,  because  we  in  this  country  feel  ourselves  in  the 
place  of  a  big  brother  to  these  other  peoples  in  their  distress. 
The  common  people  of  America  have  a  stake  in  those  coun- 
tries today,  and  we  can  never  again  shrink  back  into  the 
petty  provincial  limits  that  once  bounded  our  interests.  It 
has  immeasurably  enriched  the  life  of  Americans  that  we 
should  have  been  compelled  to  pour  out  both  money  and 
life  for  those  who  we  once  thought  had  no  claim  on  us 
whatever.  We  can  no  longer  rest  in  our  peace  and  plenty 
while  whole  peoples  die  of  oppression  and  starvation. 

162 


THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-c] 

Jesus  directly  commends  to  the  sympathy  of  every  Chris- 
tian man  the  whole  vast  family  of  those  for  whom  He  gave 
Himself.  We  exult  in  the  possession  of  a  spiritual  inherit- 
ance that  makes  life  great;  we  have  learned  through  it  how 
to  find  life  at  its  best.  He  calls  us  to  be  as  the  big  brothers 
of  those  who  are  helpless  or  degraded  for  lack  of  just  what 
we  possess.  The  knowledge  of  the  love  of  God  has  made 
rich  and  sacred  for  us  all  the  deep  joys  of  life.  It  is  our 
concern  that  millions  in  Africa  are  left  to  a  bestial  savagery 
that  robs  them  of  life's  sweetness.  What  have  we  to  do 
with  a  peace  and  plenty  that  we  do  not  even  take  the  trouble 
to  share?  Every  day  we  live  comes  under  the  constraining 
force  of  this  appeal,  to  take  thought  for  the  poorest  crea- 
tures who  dwell  with  us  under  the  blue  sky  of  our  Father. 
So  far  as  we  truly  sympathize  with  them  we  think  our  Lord's 
thoughts  after  him.  And  this  greatens  life,  in  every  one  of 
its  relationships.  There  are  few  pastors  but  could  tell  of 
those  in  their  circle  of  acquaintance  who  have  been  trans- 
figured from  commonplace  pettiness  and  lifted  morally  to  a 
higher  plane  by  their  growing  interest  in  the  spread  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God. 

This  is  not  theory,  but  simple  fact.  Here,  for  instance, 
is  China  struggling  tragically  to  get  upon  its  feet  as  a 
republic.  After  ten  years  of  terrible  effort  and  confusion, 
it  finds  itself  balked  for  lack  of  character — just  for  want 
of  enough  men  of  integrity  in  high  places.  Whatever  its 
religious  systems  may  once  have  been,  they  have  not  now 
the  power  to  cleanse  men's  lives  of  selfishness ;  and  so,  in 
spite  of  all  changes  in  form  of  government,  the  old  graft 
breaks  out  everywhere  and  thwarts  the  hopes  of  those  who 
long  for  China's  regeneration.  It  is  no  wonder  that  Mr. 
Eddy,  on  his  last  visit,  everywhere  found  thoughtful  Chinese 
sobered  by  sense  of  this  great  need — the  need  of  men  of 
incorruptible  integrity,  such  as  the  Christian  faith  produces, 
men  like  Wilson  and  Taft  and  Roosevelt,  like  Lloyd  George 
and  Balfour  and  Bryce,  soldiers  like  Pershing  and  Haig  and 
Allenby  and  Beatty,  and  thousands  of  others  in  lesser  places 
but  not  of  lesser  fidelity. 

This  illimitable  need  of  China,  of  such  profound  conse- 
quence to  the  rest  of  humanity,  our  Lord  directly  commends 
to  the  young  men  and  women  in  Christian  lands  today.     A 

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[X-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

hundred  trivial  fancies  and  interests  that  tease  us  for  con- 
sideration are  driven  out  of  sight  as  we  face  honestly  this 
vast  appeal  for  help,  now  at  this  time,  which  our  Lord 
endorses.  Can  we  find  anywhere  a  more  satisfying  ambition 
than  that  of  building  the  infinitesimal  contribution  of  our 
lives  into  the  development  of  this  great  people?  Even  if  we 
cannot  respond  in  person  to  the  appeal,  can  we  measure  the 
effect  upon  our  lives  of  a  perfectly  honest  attempt  to  under- 
stand and  face  it,  and  of  a  lifelong  sympathy  with  the  army 
that  is  giving  itself  to  this  divine  campaign? 

It  is  not,  then,  a  matter  of  little  moment  whether  or  not 
we  give  heed  to  this  last  command. 

VI 

It  is  easy  to  point  out  ways  in  which  belief  in  the  future 
life  has  been  allowed  to  prejudice  the  dignity  and  importance 
of  the  life  that  now  is.  But  the  example  and  teaching  of 
Jesus  have  the  opposite  effect.  He  knew  that  his  few  years 
in  Galilee  did  not  tell  the  wliole  story  of  his  existence.  Car- 
penter he  was,  and  then  teacher.  But  life  held  more  for 
him  than  mending  benches  or  addressing  crowds ;  and  death 
was  only  the  gateway  to  its  extension.  All  the  dignity  and 
glory  of  that  endless  life  he  centered  on  these  tasks  of  the 
hour.  It  was  his  meat  and  drink  to  do  in  Nazareth  the  will 
of  his  Father  in  heaven.  He  perfectly  gave  himself  to  being 
faithful  in  a  very  little.  The  very  fact  that  his  working- 
man's  job  was  part  of  a  majestically  far-reaching  whole, 
made  it  great  and  satisfying. 

And  so  he  taught  his  disciples  to  think  of  their  work  on 
earth.  It  was  not  the  whole  of  life  for  them,  and  all  the 
more  fervently  and  joyously  were  they  to  live  it  out  on  that 
account.  Their  life  was  not  to  dwindle  down  in  senile  decay, 
till  they  were  glad  to  be  rid  of  it  as  no  longer  worth  the 
living,  but  was  to  open  out  with  death  into  new  powers  and 
new  responsibilities,  for  which  these  earthly  days  should  be 
the  preparation.  That  unknown  future  lay  in  their  Father's 
hand,  all  unrevealed.  Only  the  present  was  theirs,  and  on 
it  their  whole  capacity  for  service  should  be  centered. 

Jesus  sent  out  his  disciples  as  helpers  of  society.  They 
were  to  spend  themselves  for  the  good  of  their  fellows  in 
such  ways  as  God  should  open  to  them.     That  is  what  you 

164 


.       .     THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP  [X-d 

and  I  are  indubitably  called  to  do.  And  it  enhances  im- 
measurably the  interest  and  dignity  of  our  efforts  that  the 
material  on  which  we  work  is  of  matchless  quality,  of  endless 
durability.  Those  who  remember  the  Centennial  Exposition 
will  remember  an  amateur  sculptor  of  that  day  who  worked 
in  butter,  and  whose  groups,  modeled  out  of  that  material, 
were  held  to  show  genuine  artistic  ability.  But  it  is  poor 
business  working  with  such  perishable  stuff.  Only  bronze 
and  marble  are  lasting  enough  for  a  true  artist  to  be  content 
to  spend  effort  upon  them.  If  the  boys  and  girls  for  whose 
characters  we  labor,  in  classes  or  clubs  or  settlements,  are 
presently  to  pass  out  of  existence  like  the  cattle  in  the 
meadows,  then  the  glory  of  our  work  is  largely  gone.  It 
may  still  be  necessary,  but  never  again  can  it  seem  to  us  as 
it  would  if  their  ennobled  lives  were  to  remain  and  grow 
without  end  for  the  glory  of  God.  To  accept  Jesus'  teach- 
ing as  to  the  unending  life,  is  to  find  the  completest  inspira- 
tion for  social  service. 

We  count  ourselves  by  faith  the  servants  of  God,  the 
friends  of  him  who  was  the  Great  Friend  of  men.  We  shall 
go  about  our  work  today  with  more  courage  and  elation  if 
we  know  that  this  friendship  is  not  of  a  beggarly  and  dis- 
appointing inconclusiveness,  leading  us  on  a  little  way  till 
we  are  sensible  of  longings  and  capacities  utterly  beyond  our 
present  attainments,  and  then  plunging  us  into  the  last 
irretrievable  disappointment  of  death  without  a  future,  as 
those  who  have  no  further  use  or  place  in  all  God's  universe. 
If  this  is  all  we  mean  to  God,  if  this  is  all  the  value  of  the 
love  he  asks  from  us  as  children,  then  we  are  forlorn  indeed 
when  life  begins  to  lose  its  vigor.  But  if  the  friendship  is 
not  to  be  broken,  if  he  with  whom  we  walk  by  faith  today 
is  to  come  within  our  sight  tomorrow,  if  the  dawning  capaci- 
ties for  love  and  righteousness  are  a  promise  of  what  shall 
be,  then,  O  Lord,  help  us  to  exult  in  any  service  we  may 
do  for  thee,  knowing  that  presently  we  shall  be  like  thee, 
when  we  see  thee  as  thou  art. 

After  all,  it  is  not  so  much  through  the  commands  of 
Jesus  that  men  find  the  needed  power  for  right  living,  as 
through  the  invitations  that  underlie  them.  The  more  we 
study  his  Hfe,  the  rnore  we  realize  that  as  a  whole  it  con- 
veyed to  men  the  invitation  of  infinite  love.     He  gave  him- 

165 


[X-c]  BUILDING   ON  ROCK 

self  perfectly  to  human  need,  that  we  might  surely  know 
how  our  Father  longs  after  his  children,  and  how  he  goes 
in  search  of  them  in  tender  ways,  to  draw  them  to  himself. 
And  it  is  this  invitation,  and  the  manner  of  his  giving  it, 
that  have  chiefly  held  the  gaze  of  thoughtful  men  through 
the  centuries.  The  commands  are  our  marching  orders — we 
must  look  to  them  to  see  what  he  would  have  us  be.  But 
the  will  and  power  to  obey  them  steadfastly,  like  good 
soldiers,  grow  strong  within  us  as  we  accept  in  gratitude  the 
everlasting  forgiveness  and  renewal  that  he  brings.  Only 
the  character  built  up  under  this  firm  constraint  of  love 
answers  fully  to  the  purpose  of  the  Master-Builder. 


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